This program is also available without the tour. Click here for more information.
Calvert Cliffs dominate the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay for roughly 24 miles in Calvert County. The sediments that comprise the cliffs and fossils they entomb were deposited 10 to 20 million years ago when all of Southern Maryland was covered by a warm, shallow sea. When the sea receded, the cliffs became exposed and in the process revealed one of the richest treasure troves of fossils on the planet. More than 600 different species of prehistoric organisms are represented, including sharks and rays, whales, and seabirds the size of small airplanes.
Stephen Godfrey, a Smithsonian research associate and curator of paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland, traces the fascinating history of the cliffs, discusses the amazing diversity of fossils that they preserve, and the picture they present of the Mid-Atlantic environment during the Miocene epoch. Godfrey highlights some particularly unique fossils, including shark-bitten coprolites (fossilized feces) and whalebones bitten by the extinct giant-tooth shark, Megalodon.
TOUR ON APRIL 25
Participants meet at the Calvert Marine Museum for a one-hour guided tour of the Paleontology Gallery. This is followed by the opportunity to explore the remainder of the museum, which features exhibits on local maritime history (including the Drum Point Lighthouse) and aquariums highlighting life in the Chesapeake Bay.
Tour Location: Calvert Marine Museum, 14200 Solomons Island Road, Solomons, MD.
Photo caption (upper right): Calvert Cliffs State Park, MD
