Bowleaze Cove fossils and fossil collecting |
 There are two different location points at Bowleaze Cove It is possible to walk from one point to the next however, due to the long distance involved, it is best to concentrate on one end.
Redcliff point is best accessed from Weymouth, parking at the end of the 'Bowleaze Coveway' road and walking East, Redcliff point is excellent for Oxford Clay fossils.
An Alternative route, ideal for east of Redcliff point, is that of Osmington Mills, this is best accessed by parking at the bottom of the road at Osmington Mills, off the A353. Once on the beach, walk west.
GRID REF: 50.63391°N, 2.37571°W
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Medium
Fossils at Bowleaze Cove can often be found washed out on the foreshore, however this is during scouring times. Other times you can collect from the harder beds.
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Older Children Only
Bowleaze Cove is very rocky and therefore it is not suitable for younger children.
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Good Access
Bowleaze Cove is a fairly easy location to access, although it can be hard going over the rocky foreshore.
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Foreshore, Cliffs
Most fossils are found in the large boulders along the foreshore, but fossils can also be found washed out of the clay on the foreshore.
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No Hammering Cliff
This site is part of the Jurassic World Heritage Coastline. Please follow the Fossil Code of Conduct. Access is permitted SSSI -
NO HAMMERING THE CLIFF
Damage has already been caused to this heritage site by people using power tools. This is strictly against SSSI rules and any attempt to ignore these rules may result in prosecution.
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Common sense when collecting at all locations should be taken and knowledge of tide times should always be noted. Care should be especially taken along the coast from Weymouth to Ringstead of tide times as often the sea will cut you off. Redcliff Point is the easiest to get cut off, the sea always hits this point. There are a large number of boulders placed in a difficult position at Redcliff Point, the sea does not retreat very far, even at extreme low tide, care must be taken not to sprain or injury ones self. The rocks are slippery with seaweed. The high cliffs east of Redcliff Point are particularly dangerous due to regular cliff falls and falling rocks.
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Bowleaze Cove
Tide Times
UK Tidal data is owned by Crown Copyright, and therefore sadly we are not allowed to display tide times without paying expensive annual contracts. However we sell them via our store, including FREE POSTAGE
Click here to buy a tide table |
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Last updated:
last visited:
Written by: |
29/05/08
2000
Alister and Alison Cruickshanks
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At Bowleaze Cove just west of Osmington Mills, the Kimmeridge clay is well exposed at the foreshore during winter months, this is the best place to collect fossils, but it is not always exposed. If the clay is exposed, then fossils can be found simply by searching around the foreshore.
Further west, large Lower Corallian blocks yield fossils. These you will need a good heavy hammer for as they will need splitting. ....[more]
Kimmeridge Clay: Ammonites from on the foreshore
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Jurassic, 150-160mya |
Just west of Osmington Mills, heading towards Bowleaze Cove, excellent exposed beds of the Corallian Beds can be clearly seen. The Kimmeridge clay bed can be seen well exposed on the foreshore. Sandsfoot clay and Nothe clay are also present. There is around 26m of Kimmeridge Clay here with 19m of Sandsfoot Clay bed.
At Redcliff Point, The Lamberti Zone and Mariae Zone from the Upper Oxford Clay can be clearly seen. Redcliff Point itself is part of a large landslide. East of Redcliff point, the Bencliff Grit & Trigonia Beds (Osmington Oolite) overlay the Nothe Clay and Preston Grit. 1.7m of Preston Grit with over 8m of Nothe Grit....[more]
Goggins Barrow, near Osmington Mills showing slipped Kimmeridge Clay
and the Corallian Formation at Bowleaze Cove
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At Redcliff Point, a vast amount of Oxford Clay is well exposed on the foreshore, this extends just east of this point. Hundreds of Giant Oysters and Gryphea can be seen scattered everywhere along the foreshore (mostly common ones are Gryphaea dilatata and Lopha). (Beach conditions permitting). Ammonites can also be found here (Cardioceras) with a range of other shells. There are a number of red coloured nodules which contain very well preserved fossils including large ammonites, however these ammonites are rarely complete.
Some very large mussel shells can further be found by digging into the clay, these are extremely fragile. Occasionally, Oysters can develop around an ammonite and you either see a very clear pattern of an ammonite mould on the oyster or the ammonite is actually still attached, these ammonites can be quite large and of good condition.
Most of the large ammonites are rusted, decomposed and will simply crumble, however smaller ammonites can still be found. In the past Crocodile and Crustacean remains along with Ichthyosaurus bones have been recorded here...[more]
ichthyosaur phalanges
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TOOLS: A knife and pick should be taken as Bowleaze Cove is both soft Oxford and Kimmeridge Clay. When the foreshore is exposed, suitable footwear should be worn. A small trowel is also useful though most fossils can be simply lifted from the clay. Ammonites can be found in the Corallian beds which can be extremely hard, so hammers and chisels (Ideally a lump hammer), should be taken if walking from Weymouth or east past Redcliff point to the small Corallian outcrop....[more] |
Other Locations similar to Bowleaze Cove
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Related Books |
Microscopes |
Test Sieves for Microfossils |
 Discover Dorset Fossils
A fantastic well written book covering fossils of the Dorset Coast. It contains useful tips and the most popular locations along the coast along with the fossils you can find. This popular book is available from our own UK Fosils/UKGE Store.
All of our books have FREE UK Delivery, We have hundreds of geological books for sale.
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At Bowleaze, you can find Microfossils from the Oxford and Kimmeridge Clay. You only need a small sample of the clay. You then need to break it down in water and sieve using a test sieve. Once the clay is processed, you can then view the contents using a microscope. Some people use a Stone Tumbler to mix the clay with water prior to sieving.
We have a wide range of microscopes for sale, you will need a Stereo microscope for viewing microfossils. Once you have found microfossils, you will need to store these microfossils.
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Test Sieves are used when searching for microfossils. We recommend that you use a test sieve with water at different levels. Test sieves for clay fossils should be 150 microns, and 300 microns.
Our UKGE Store sells Endecotts Test Sieves, which are the highest in accuracy and extremely durable and long lasting. These Test Sieves are fantastic for microfossils. Endecotts Test Sieves come in a variety of sizes, frame material and types, they are fully certificated to EU Standards. |
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