When Mammoths roamed in this area
Geology tells us that for many millions of years the Dengie 100 was
under the sea.
During the Eocene epoch about 55 million years ago Essex was in a
shallow tropical sea similar to modern day Malaysia. During this period,
over about 3 million years, rivers flowing from the mainland dropped
silt which formed the modern London Clay bet that is a predominant
feature of our soil.
Into
this new clay soil at the bottom of the sea dropped a variety of sea
life that became fossilised.
The
clay is rich in minerals with selenite, a variety of gypsum, that forms
clear crystals.
In
more recent times the Thames/Medway River crossed the Dengie 100 to meet
the Sea north of Bradwell on Sea. During this period the river cut into
the london clay leaving deposits of sand and gravel . During the Ice Age
the Thames became blocked in Hertfordshire by a glacier and a large lake
was formed. This lake eventually forced a new path which led to the
Thames and Medway adopting its current route.
The
ice age brought many new animals with fossils of mammoths, hyena,
hippopotamus, wolves and Reindeers all being found in the area. In 1983
a superb Mammoth tusk was found on the shore of the River crouch at
Burnham on crouch by local historian Les Holden. The tusk can be viewed
in Chelmsford Museum.
Three sites are especially notes for fossils and geologists alike -
Creeksea Cliffs, Maylandsea and Asheldham pits.
Creeksea Cliffs
A
cliff on the outer bend of the
River crouch that is being eroded with fossils that can be found on the
shingle beach below the cliffs. Sharks teeth and other fossils from this
site can be viewed in nearby Burnham on Crouch Museum.
Maylandsea
At
low tide sharks teeth ,stems of the sea lily and fossilised lobsters can
be found in the River Blackwater from Maylandsea to Steeple.
Asheldham Pits
A
line of flooded gravel pits stretches across the Dengie Peninsula from
Bradwell on Sea to Burnham on Crouch. They are sited on the route of the
Thames/Medway River.
Alister and Alison Cruikshanks have written a great guide to fossils at
Burnham as part of the UK fossil network
To visit their web site click here.