This October 11 is National Fossil Day. Perhaps you yourself are a budding amateur fossil hunter. Or maybe you’re even an enthusiastic serious-minded paleontologist. Then again, you could just be someone looking to try something new in the way of excavating fossilized remnants from the region’s prehistoric past. Whatever your story, take note that there are several excellent dig sites worth exploring throughout Delmarva. Rules and regulations do of course vary based on each location’s policies regarding what you may dig and/or keep (or not keep). So, without further ado, here are seven great suggested picks for where you can find fossils throughout Delmarva.
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Delaware paleontologists have credited this as being one of the best places in the state to find fossils. Excavations here have revealed primarily those from the Cretaceous Period. Most of the remnants represent different life forms that existed largely in shallow sea waters and along (and off) the shoreline in the way of fossilized “steinkerns”—formed when shells and mud are combined and hardened. The species these recorded fossils belong to come from all different marine creatures like large clams, oysters, squid-like animals, fish, reptiles, and the belemnite species Belemnitella americana, also the Delaware state fossil.
Pollack Farm
Pollack Farm in Kent County, Delaware is site to a wealth of different fossilized remains dating back to the Miocene Epoch. Much of what was uncovered here came somewhat as a surprise while the Delaware Geological Survey staff was collecting earth minerals during the construction of Route 1 back in the early 1990s. Findings range from hundreds of marine mollusks to primitive land mammals, including hornless rhinos, bears, horses, and even early whale precursors.
Purse Area of Nanjemoy/Purse State Park
Most of the acres encompassing this former Maryland State Park on the Potomac River now serve as the designated Nanjemoy Wildlife Management Area. The “purse” area on the beach, however, is still a great place to skim around for fossils and other remnants from Charles County’s prehistoric past. Many of the discoveries here have included fossilized shells, shark and bony fish teeth (and even those of prehistoric crocodiles), Cibicides, and more. The majority of discoveries here date back to the Paleocene Epoch.
Dinosaur Park
This appropriately named dig site endeavor based in Laurel, Maryland, has been a known premium prehistoric hotspot for centuries. Most of what you can expect to unearth here can be traced back to the early Cretaceous Period. The lineup includes impressive fossilized dinosaur bones and prehistoric flora and fauna. Bones from Astrodon johnstoni, Maryland’s state dinosaur, were even excavated here. There was also a recent finding of a large rare dinosaur bone believed to belong to that of either the massive predatory Acrocanthosaurus or a related species.
Calvert Cliffs
This 24-mile coastal shoreline in Calvert County is by far one of my personal favorites to visit. In fact, well over 600 different kinds of fossils have been uncovered here, some of which you can see on display by taking a quick detour over to the Calvert Marine Museum. Many of the remnants to have been excavated here date back to the Miocene Era. More common findings include prehistoric oyster shells, mollusks, shark teeth, and even the occasional megalodon tooth if you’re really lucky.
Stratford Hall
The famous beaches and cliffs of Stratford Hall in Stratford Virginia, which are part of the Calvert formation, have proven abundant in containing a wealth of fossilized remains largely dating back to the Miocene Epoch. Some of the surprising findings even in recent years have proven to be most impressive. These have included a 15-million-year-old whale skull, shark-toothed porpoises, gopher turtles, crocodiles, and more.
Westmoreland State Park Fossil Beach
Located in Montross, Virginia, here is another premium prehistoric fossil dig site to check out along the Potomac. And again, it largely comprises maritime remnants, like shark teeth and other extinct counterparts to creatures that exist today. But aside from the living remains, most of which date back to the Miocene Era, all the different rock layers here stand out and seem to display different strips of time in the making. It is a stratigrapher’s ultimate dream come true!
Because the land and seas surrounding Delmarva are old, there are of course many other places to explore where you may potentially unearth a novelty prehistoric find. But all of these locations highlighted on this list remain your guaranteed best bets just the same.