How Do You Identify Calvert Cliff Fossils?
The Calvert Cliffs of Maryland are peaceful now, but during the Miocene period (between 5 and 23 million years ago), they were the underwater home of megalodon, the giant ancestor of the great white shark; of giant predatory rays; and prehistoric crocodiles of 30 feet in length. Marine fossils are easy to find at the cliffs, with a little digging or simply by walking the beach. Look on the beaches of Calvert Cliffs State Park, located between Routes 2 and 4 in southern Calvert County, Maryland. Wait for low tide, when more of the beach is exposed and sand and silt have been washed away to reveal fossils. Walk along the exposed cliffs, looking for exposed fossils. If necessary, loosen rock and dirt with your trowel or rock hammer. Look for shark teeth. Marine animals such as sharks and rays have cartilaginous skeletons, which usually rot away before they fossilize. But a shark’s hard enamel teeth last for millennia. Look in particular for blackened, flat, triangular fossils. With luck y
