All the fossils found on Charmouth beach come from the early part of the Jurassic Period and are about 185 million years old.

During the Jurassic period Charmouth was a marine environment. Life flourished in a warm shallow sea that would have been much nearer the equator than we are now. The remains of sea creatures were trapped in the layers of mud that built up on the sea bed and eventually became fossils. During the last 185 million years those layers were slowly carried north on their tectonic plate and eventually uplifted and eroded to form the beautiful cliffs of this part of southern England.

The sorts of creatures that lived in the Jurassic sea included predators and prey, animals that swam and animals that lived on the sea bed. A cross section of Lower Jurassic life is preserved in the rocks at Charmouth, in fact Charmouth is the best place in the world to find Lower Jurassic reptiles, fish and insects!

People collect fossils for many different reasons. Kate Rudman, a freelance radio producer, has kindly donated a short piece she made called 'Beach Life'. Listen to the wardens at the coast centre and some of the local fossil collectors discuss why they like collecting fossils and how it inspires them to go out again and again to see what they can find.

Email Kate: rudmankate@hotmail.com