Jurassic Spark!
The Jurassic Coast is quite rightly a World Heritage Site! But you have to visit it to truly understand why. Science Geeks sent it's roving reporter and world famous science communicator, Professor Ryan Fox, there on a holiday to write a travel blog about his experiences. Here is his report from the prehistoric fossil heaven (quite literally), millions of creatures, frozen for eternity near the town of Lyme Regis. Visit it. It's amazing. The chips are good too.....
SCIENCE TRAVEL
Professor Ryan Fox (edited by Mark Prince)
2/14/20245 min read
Forget Jurassic Park, I discovered my "Jurassic spark" (Editor - seriously?) here on the Dorset coast visiting the amazing Monmouth beach, a world heritage site famous for it's amazing and bountiful fossils. There really is nowhere quite like on Earth, apart from all the other beaches on the Jurassic coast, oh and some in Yorkshire, Mons Klint (Denmark), Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada), Hell Creek Formation (United States) and many others. But I digress, this one is easy to visit and you can grab a bag of chips and a beer close by at "Dave's Beach Bar" for a very reasonable price. (Ed - is that relevant? Are you doing product placement again? I've warned you about this before.... delete it! ). It truly is spectacular though, with undiscovered fossils to find and the unique "Ammonite Pavement".
Monmouth beach is a part of the Jurassic coast, a World Heritage Site that spans 95 miles of coastline in southern England. It is famous for its fossils of ancient marine life, such as ammonites and pliosaurs (the giant, tooth filled monster that David Attenborough recently found climbing a cliff at 96) (Ed - It wasn't him who found it - fact check! Really Ryan!). There were also ichthyosaurs in those seas, as discovered by the shouty, feminist, "right on" scientist Mary Anning (Ed - she wasn't a feminist - just a normal woman and pioneer in archaeology - less sexism please Ryan). There were also plesiosaurs, long necked sea monsters just like the Loch Ness Monster, predating on life in these oceans. (Ed - The Loch Ness Monster is not real Ryan - how many times?) These creatures lived in the warm, shallow seas that covered this area during the Jurassic period, about 200 to 145 million years ago. Their fossilised remains are awaiting discovery here.
This really is a fantastic day out for all the family. The beach is literally littered with countless fossils of ammonites. thousand of them, big and small. If you are particularly lucky you may even find a fossil to take home. The beach is packed with fossil hunters of all ages and differing levels of stupidity. The sedimentary cliffs here are notoriously fragile and debris regularly falls from them. In fact a large rock nearly caved in the head of a nosey hound and a tragedy would have taken place if not for its observant owner shouting a warning at the last second, strangely in preference to warning his own child who was stood just a meter away, as the rock smashed into the ground. Beware also of the tides in order to see the best fossils and avoid unecessary drowning.
Ammonites are related to modern-day octopuses, squids and cuttlefish. They had a coiled shell that protected their soft body and helped them control their buoyancy. They were very diverse and abundant in the Jurassic seas, and their fossils are often used to date the rocks they are found in. The come in a multitide of species and their sizes vary from just 6 mm to 2.5 m, yes metres, across! You can see some pretty big boys here on the beach, and, yes, I am talking about the ammonites, (Ed - Ryan - please - it's not the 1980's anymore) ....Which I have been asked to point out that the ammonites exhibited sexual dimorphism, (Ed - Big words) with distinct forms and weren't just blokes (Ed - that's more like it):
Macroconchs: Larger individuals, often considered female due to their capacity for egg production.
Microconchs: Smaller individuals, possibly associated with males
That OK Mr "woke" police? (2nd draft comments: Ed... much better Ryan... thankyou... and remember to take out my comments before you publish OK? I notice the comments from my first draft remarks are still here). No problem Mr. Editor. You can rely on me. Just got that off Wikipedia anyway, no idea what it means.
Lyme Regis and its ancient beaches are a must see attraction. It's one for the bucket list. I even managed to bag myself a lovely fossil for free (Ed - yes I heard, that nine year old girl you snatched it off didn't put up much of a fight) and I certainly aren't no Mary Anning (2nd draft comments: Ed- Too true - More like "Hairy Manning" if you ask me. LOL).
But seriously, in many ways this stirred deeply spiritual feelings inside me. There is nothing quite like standing on those 160 million year old rocks, where, once, an ocean full of great reptiles and cephalopods engaged in constant, violent battles for survival. I stood there deeply moved, contemplating the great story of life on Earth and our tiny place within it, only occasionally distracted by the thought of some chips and a pint. (Ed....concentrate Ryan...lose the line about the beer and chips)
As the Sun began to set, I couldn't help help but reflect on our insignificance in the Universe. Ammonites stuck around for over 300 million years and survived three mass extinctions, what hardy, resilient creatures they were. We are but a dark smudge in the book of life on this planet, a blip, an error. Modern humans will do well to match the impressive timescale of survival the ammonites achieved. With our current attitude to the environment and our relentless determination to destroy our world, it is hard to see how we will even manage the next three hundred years, never mind 300 million. Food for thought indeed. Which reminds me about those chips. (2nd draft comments: Ed - Good stuff Ryan, nice ending, very sober and reflective. You can be quite a deep person really. People often misunderstand you. You are not a crass and stupid as people think. Actually quite sensitive....lose the chips bit.)
Whatever .... Can you transfer the fee for this article now please as soon as you have checked it and sent your suggestions? It's happy hour at the beach bar, half priced cocktails.... need to get there quick. Going to be quite a night - will do a third draft later and post this to the website after the pub).
(2nd draft comments: Ed - Will do ....Fee on its way in advance. Just don't forget to edit out my suggestions and all the comments before you publish.... just tidy it up, do the third draft yourself and upload. I'm about to land at base camp in the Himalayas with no internet so need to rely on you......I can rely on you can't I Ryan? Don't want us to look unprofessional. Again.)
