A beach visit offers an opportunity to relax, enjoy some sunshine (once you’ve applied sunscreen, of course!) and splash around in the warm water. A summer trip to Virginia’s beaches is not only an opportunity for your family to build sandcastles, it’s also a chance to unearth something even more fascinating–fossils!
Researchers have yet to discover fossils of dinosaur body parts in Virginia, but footprints have been found, such as the marks left by prehistoric steps at Luck Stone Quarry in Culpeper. More than 1,000 dinosaur tracks were identified in the mid-1970s, with more discovered in the decades since.
While there’s only one opportunity per year to see the dinosaur footprints via the Culpeper Museum’s lottery, you’re in luck because there are numerous other fascinating artifacts awaiting your paleontological adventure by the sea.
Virginia destinations are home to shark teeth and numerous other fossils, led by our state fossil, Chesapecten jeffersonius. Chesapecten fossils are commonly found in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina due to the history of our region’s Coastal Plain. The area was frequently underwater millions of years ago and contains deposits of Miocene and Pliocene material in the cliffs surrounding the James, Potomac, and York Rivers. As those cliffs erode, that material washes the fossils within it down to our beaches.
The shark teeth you may find during a day at a Virginia beach are even older than potential dinosaur fossils, as sharks preceded dinosaurs on Earth, with the first scientifically agreed upon sharks appearing in the Silurian Period, around 420 million years ago. Sharks that resemble the predators we are familiar with today evolved during the Cretaceous Period around 100 million years ago.
The most coveted fossils are, of course, the giant teeth of the extinct megalodon shark. Yes, you can find those in Virginia! Whale fossils are another exciting find. There truly is a world of possibility in what you may unearth.
Where have Virginia vacationers successfully found fossils from eras past? One of many great places to start is the aptly named Fossil Beach at Westmoreland State Park. The beach on the banks of the Potomac River in Westmoreland County (a less than 90-minute drive from downtown Richmond) is well-chronicled for visitors’ experience in finding the teeth of extinct sharks.
Your next opportunity awaits at another Fossil Beach at York River State Park in James City County (under an hour away from Richmond). Shark teeth aren’t as prominent on this site, but
beachgoers have found a variety of fossils from shellfish and aquatic creatures, including whale bones.
Following the James River down to Surry County, Chesapecten fossils reign at Chippokes State Park, also within 90 minutes of Richmond. Across the water from Jamestown, Chesapecten is joined by megalodon teeth and other evidence of creatures that lived in Virginia long before we did.
As part of Virginia’s wonderful state park system, you can learn more about the fossil history of these locations from some of the staff on-site. Programming, including fossil-focused tours, may be available. Check in and explore all that can be discovered while experiencing some of Virginia’s natural wonders.
A trip to the beach is a great opportunity to slow down, spend some time in the water, and check some titles off that summer reading list. But with scientific treasures sitting just beneath the surface, your family may discover something fascinating that makes your summer beach trip truly historic.
