Find a Fossil
Bay beaches keep a record of natural as well as human history.
Calvert County beaches are larded with nature’s treasures: shells, bone fragments and especially sharks’ teeth that tell a prehistoric story of an ancient ocean teeming with brutes and monsters. Teeth top off at seven inches, which means the Great White Shark that grew them was as big as a boxcar. But even an ancient tooth as tiny as a rose thorn can be a thrilling discovery. Learn about these treasures from Calvert Marine Museum’s pamphlet Fossils of Calvert Cliffs. The Museum is the regional resource on Chesapeake fossils, with trips, big-toothed exhibits, a fossil club and scientists who’ll interpret your finds.
Discover ancient treasures of the Chesapeake August 15 in an expedition at Calvert Cliffs State Park. A fossil expert leads the way, including a 1.5-mile hike to the beach to hunt for fossils. Afterward regroup at Calvert Marine Museum to go over your finds.
Ages 8 and up (children with an adult). 9am at Cove Point Lighthouse; 1pm at Calvert Marine Museum. $20 includes free museum admission. rsvp: 410-326-2042 x41.
Join the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club, which takes regular fossiling trips and holds quarterly meetings — but not in summer. You’ll have to wait until September 12 for the next meeting, which begins at 1pm and features a talk on Anzy, the Chicken from Hell.