Fossil Coast Drinks is pleased to introduce Steve Snowball as a guest blogger who will be sharing his knowledge, experience and expertise in a series of blogs about fossil hunting on the Corallian Rocks of the Jurassic Coast of Dorset at Bowleaze Cove. Steve is an accomplished author of "A Guide to Fossil Collecting in England & Wales" and co-author of a series of four other highly-acclaimed guides to fossil collecting on the Dorset coast.

Bowleaze Cove lies west of Weymouth at the end of the defensive sea wall. Beyond Furzy Cliff, the Oxford Clay Formation gives way to Corallian rocks, just beyond the Waterside Holiday complex. It’s a bit of a hike over the boulder-strewn shore and you’ll first need to cross over the River Jordan (a small stream, really!) to get onto the section described here.
Traversing the beach is not for those with walking difficulty and even small children will find the route difficult. The sheer size and number of fallen rocks and boulders from the Corallian sequence of rocks from the cliffs above can make this an arduous route.
The fallen rocks are a mix from the Nothe Grit and Clay Members and the Preston Grit. Fossils can be numerous but the location is especially known for the large variety of ichno-fossils (trace fossils) found in the rocks here. These are not easy to extract, due to the size of the boulders in which they are embedded but photos will provide a good record of your visit, so bring a camera along.
Ichnofossils refer to trace fossils, which are recurring structures found in the rocks, resulting from the life activities of individual organisms or groups of organisms that modified the Jurassic sea bed.
Trace fossils may consist of physical impressions made on or in the substrate by an organism. For example, burrows, borings. footprints, or feeding marks may all be trace fossils. Other fossils also occur at this location and include bivalves, ammonites and occasional marine reptile remains, washed in from the Oxford Clay Formation near to Redcliff Point.

Some of the more common ichnofossils found here include Rhizocorallium a ‘U-shaped’ burrow formed by an arthropod crustacean, such as a lobster and Scolicia which is a locomotion or feeding trace, made by different animal groups moving along the ancient sea bed. These could be made by crustaceans or gastropods.

Gyrochorte looks like fine, plaited rope laid its in a curve over rippled sand. It is probably the marks of a gastropod, a crustacean or a worm.

Diplocraterion parallelum is a vertical ‘U-shaped’ burrow, once occupied by a suspension-feeding animal. More on ichnofossils and other fossil-bearing localities are to be found in this book, which forms a series of fossil collecting guides along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. Available from Siri Scientific Press and other good booksellers, priced £19.99.

Sandstone blocks, such as the one above, are composed of the Preston Grit Member of the Corallian. The Nothe Clay is seen slumping above and contributes to the rotational mass movement of the entire section of cliffs. There is a significant risk of rock falls here, so collectors need to be aware.
On the cliffs above and seen from the coastal footpath, enormous cracks are visible, which widen annually and with new ones appearing. It’s good news for fossil collectors, as fresh material is falling onto the beach below! Look out for the bivalve, Myophorella (Trigonia) huddlestoni which is found in the Trigonia huddlestoni Bed of the Preston Grit.
Left: Myophorella (Trigonia) huddlestoni | Middle: Thalassinoides | Right: Myophorella clavellata
Thalassinoides, another trace fossil with a characteristic ’T’- branched network of burrows can be found here and it is thought that the marks could have been made by the sea anemone, Cerianthus, the ocean-going worm, Balanoglossus or crustaceans. The bivalves, Trigonia reticulata and Myophorella clavellata are commonly found along this coastal section.

Ammonites do occur in these rocks but will most probably require prepping using an air scribe. You might have such equipment but otherwise contact Lyme Regis Museum or Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, who can put you in touch with a fossil preparator in the area.

Less commonly found fossils from this section of the coast are belemnites, such as these Pachyteuthis abbreviata and incredibly rare plant fossils. This is a rare Zamites or Otozamites plant leaf from a bennettitalean (an extinct close relation to the cycads).
Left & Middle: Belemnites of Pachyteuthis abbreviata | Right: Zamites or Otozamites plant leaf
Enjoy your fossil hunt at Bowleaze Cove but remember, whenever you're intending to go, always check the tide times carefully first, check the weather conditions, wear appropriate clothing and stout footwear and tell someone where you're going and what time you're expecting to return. Mobile phone signals are not always available at more remote sites such as here!

About Guest Blogger - Steve Snowball

Steve Snowball spent a total of 35 years working in education; initially as a teacher, then as a headteacher and finally as an education advisor in West Sussex. He retired to live on the Jurassic Coast of West Dorset, where he was able to pursue his keen interest in collecting fossils and spending time walking his dogs, enjoying landscape photography, oil painting and gardening. Steve is the author of ‘A Guide to Fossil Collecting in England & Wales’ and co-author of a series of four other highly-acclaimed guides to fossil collecting on the Dorset coast, all published by Siri Scientific Press.