Location:

Calvert Cliffs of MD

~ 22-8 Million Years Old
Early to Middle Miocene
Chesapeake Group: Calvert, Choptank, and St. Mary's Formations




Snorkeling for fossils has great potential. We have found 1 or 2 nice fossils each attempt.
However, it is not for everyone, and can be a hassle sometimes. You get out there, only to find the water almost to muddy to see. If the water is clear (2 foot visibility), but its after June, you get stung by nettles (jellyfish). If it is before June, you freeze to death. The girlfriend won't let you wear a wet suit due to an "uneven" tan. Crabs constantly bite at you. The bay is home to a very large population of sandbar sharks that like the same spots you do. The list goes on and on...

Here are the snorkel-fossil tools I use:

  • Snorkel, Mask, and Flippers
    This is self explanatory.

  • A waterproof head hiking lamp (you can get them at outdoor stores)
    The water is usually murky, you need all the light you can get. Placing a light on your head is very convenient.

  • A hand rake
    The thing I am holding is a rake/mattock. It's pretty neat, its nice and big, and has a mattock end, and a rake end. It is very useful for raking the gravel on the ground to stir up hiding fossils.

  • An underwater light
    Even with the head lamp, it is still occasionally difficult to see, especially when you dive in deeper waters. I got a cheap little underwater light from a camping store, and attached it to the side of my mattock/rake thing, so my hands are still free.



    • Here's where and how to find the fossils while snorkeling:

    First, the conditions change constantly, what is a good spot one day may be a bad spot the next. It is pretty random. Any place with cliffs present has about the same chances of fossils being exposed. I would recommend going out on a calm day (small waves), so less sediment is floating in the water. I would also reccomend going at low tide, so more light penetrates the bottom.

    You want to head out directly from a cliff into a few feet of water. If prefer a depth between waste to shoulder deep. Once out there, feel or look around on the bottom for gravel areas, spots with lots of pebbles, rocks, and stuff. If its all sand, you wont find anything. This may take a while. It is basically hit or miss as the conditions always change.

    Once you've found a gravel spot, turn on your lights, and get your head close to the bottom, a few inches is fine. You can then swim along the bottom and surface scan for fossils, then start raking the gravel piles and little rocks to try and overturn hiding fossils.


    Here's when to snorkel for fossils:


    During April and May is the best time. The water is very clear, and there are no nettles. However, the water is very cold, so a wetsuit is required.
    June and early July are ok. The water starts to get that algae in it, so the visibility drops. However, the water is warmer, making for a pleasant day.
    July to the end of summer suck. The water is usualy murky with algae blooms and the nettles are out in force.


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