Kilve Beach.... Fossils and all....
The Beach is incredibly close to my house so i have spent alot of time here over the years. also helps that it has fossils! Ammonites are the most common but various reptiles can also be found... however both are covered by the fact that the area is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) so unfortunatly you cant take them with you if you do find one!!!!
Kilve Beach was also the considered site of oil extraction
as the shale in the cliffs was discovered to be rich in oil however the
company
that intended on exploiting the oil could never raise the money to do so ending
the anticipated Somerset Oil Boom.
Geology
Over 40ft of limestone and shale's from the Lower Lias is
exposed at Kilve. These contain psiloceras planorbis succeeded by a thick
sequence of shale's with a few thin limestone's. Above this are some 60ft of
shale's in which limestone's become more numerous and more massive upwards from
the bucklandi zone. The lias dip eastwards. The Lias themselves are part of the
Kilve Shales (approximatly 17m in thickness), blue lias and Quantock's beds
which continue to Quantoxhead. Within these dark shales, occasional limestones
appear containing coroniceras.
So there it is... I would definitely recommend the beach for
a good day out.
