Location and directions Directions: Access to Peacehaven is made along the A259. Driving from the west, drive through the town and turn on to a 'The Highway'. Parking is available on the roadside. Walk across the grass towards the cliffs. From the cliff top a steps lead to the foreshore.		Key information Geological period Upper Cretaceous Approximate age 85 - 80 million years Fossil diversity Echinoids, Ammonites, Bivalves... Find frequency High Dangers Risk of falling rocks Equipment Hammer, Chisel, Eye Protection Accessibility A long descent down steps Local facilities Shops are a long walk away Additional notes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
How would Peacehaven have looked 85 million years ago?

Introduction

Friars Bay near Peacehaven in East Sussex is a great place to observe some of the most spectacular ammonites in the country.  Although some sections of the beach are protected from fossil collecting, visitors can view literally dozens of these enormous Cretaceous predators.  Other marine fossils which lived alongside the ammonites can also be found and collected in certain places.

Friars Bay is located between Newhaven port and Peacehaven town.  The best route to access the beach is through Newhaven along the A259 coast road.  Parking is available at the top of the cliff, about 3 minutes walk to the steps which lead down to the beach (see below).

Steps leading down to Friars Bay

Introduction

If you're visiting Friars Bay for the first time, it's worth spending some time searching for the Giant Ammonites, known as Parapuzosia,  on the foreshore.  You should note that this area is protected, which means no fossil collecting is allowed.  Visitors should not attempt to remove, enhance or disturb any of the ammonites, no matter what condition they are in.  However, fossil collecting is permitted to the East of the steps (towards Newhaven).  If you're very lucky (like we were) you may find giant ammonites in the East, and provided you have the necessary equipment and skill you can retrieve some truly wonderful specimens.

View West towards Brighton over the Giant Ammonite foreshore horizon

To locate the giant ammonites, you must first descend the steps pictured above.  Once at the foot of the steps you can view both the fossil collecting section to the East (Left) and the giant ammonite horizon to the West (right).

The pictures above show two examples of the ammonites visible on the foreshore.  The example on the left is partially exposed, but the shell clearly spans several feet in diameter.  Many of the giant ammonites are on pedestals - the result of the sea eroding the surrounding chalk.  Surprisingly the example on the right is incomplete - several feet of head chamber are missing.  In life the creature's shell would have been over 6 foot in diameter and the squid-like ammonite itself would have had the equivalent body mass to many modern day giant-squid!

This area of the beach is the protected section, so no hammering or fossil collecting of any kind is allowed.

Where to look for fossils?

The place to find and collect the greatest volume of fossils is to the East of the steps (pictured at the top of the page).  Here you will find a diversity of marine creatures and plants including echinoids, shells, corals and sponges. The best place to look is within the foreshore boulders.  Using a hammer and chisel you can easily remove fossils from the chalk.
 

Lu chiseling a fossil from foreshore chalk

For more information about the features and processes controlling coastal fossil collecting locations click here.

What fossils might you find?

Also keep a eye-out for fossils within the flint pebbles.  The pictures below include a couple of fine sea urchins found about 4 meters from the cliff base.

If you're lucky you can also find pieces of giant ammonite within the foreshore boulders.  However, if you're extremely lucky you can also find a complete specimen (as pictured below).

In this instance the ammonite above was partially covered by shingle and boulders.  The first job involved clearing enough room to begin work removing the surrounding chalk matrix.  The objective is to reduce the area of the ammonite surrounded by chalk.  This will allow for the final stage of literally popping the entire fossil out of the rock.  The pictures above illustrate this process.  However they don't show the rising tide which was limiting the time we had! The final picture shows the giant ammonite ready to be removed. This took a further ten minutes of precision chiselling.  Finally the ammonite came away from the chalk boulder.  The picture below shows the final result.

Giant Ammonite Parapuzosia leptophlylla, now donated to Worthing Museum

To learn more about ammonites click here

New crab species?

Following the preparation of the ammonite pictured above, a further interesting discovery was made.  Within the matrix surrounding the ammonite, Robert discovered what appeared to be a small crab carapace.  The specimen has now been prepared (pictured below) and is the first crab ever recorded from this level in the Chalk.

Crab carapace (Graptocarcinus cf. texanus)

Protecting your finds

It's important to spend some time considering the best way to protect your finds onsite, in transit, on display and in storage. Prior to your visit, consider the equipment and accessories you're likely to need, as these will differ depending on the type of rock, terrain and prevailing weather conditions.

(Left) Fossil wrapped in newspaper, ready for transport. (Right) A small compartment box containing cotton wool is ideal for separating delicate specimens.

When you discover a fossil, examine the surrounding matrix (rock) and consider how best to remove the specimen without breaking it; patience and consideration are key. The aim of extraction is to remove the specimen with some of the matrix attached, as this will provide added protection during transit and future handling; sometimes breaks are unavoidable, but with care you should be able to extract most specimens intact. In the event of breakage, carefully gather all the pieces together, as in most cases repairs can be made at a later time...continued.

 

  

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Picture credits: Sea Snail by Jeffrey Jeffords at divegallery.com; Reef by J.Dowell at Reefnews.com; Sea Potato from teachnet.ie. Safety notice: Fossil hunting can at times pose a risk to personal safety, in particular within environments close to the coast, cliffs or in quarries and when using the tools and equipment illustrated. Discovering Fossils provides a free resource to inform you about this fascinating subject and does not accept any liability for decisions made using this information. We recommend all individuals abide by the 'National Fossil Hunting Code' and independently research the potential dangers before and during the visit.

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Written and designed by Roy Shepherd