#Isle of Wight fossil

[uk-fossils]

RARE Cleoniceras kirkaldyi Ammonite Fossil | Cretaceous | Isle of Wight UK | Certified | Alice Purnell Collection

This listing features a RARE Cleoniceras kirkaldyi fossil ammonite, a striking and finely preserved specimen from the Cretaceous Period, discovered on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. This ammonite is part of the esteemed Alice Purnell Collection, known for its premium fossil selection.

Geological Context:

Fossil Type: Ammonite (extinct marine cephalopod)

Species: Cleoniceras kirkaldyi

Geological Period: Lower Cretaceous (Aptian Stage, approx. 125–113 million years ago)

Formation: Likely part of the Lower Greensand Group or Wealden Group associated with Isle of Wight strata

Location: Isle of Wight, UK

Depositional Environment: Marine shelf environment; warm shallow seas promoting excellent fossil preservation in calcareous sediments

Scientific Classification:

Order: Ammonitida

Superfamily: Desmoceratoidea

Family: Desmoceratidae

Morphology & Notable Features:

Cleoniceras kirkaldyi exhibits a highly involute shell, smooth inner whorls, and characteristic ribbing across the flanks.

The shell is typically compressed and moderately evolute, with strong ornamentation in mature specimens.

This particular fossil shows exquisite detail in its preservation, capturing the fine suture lines and natural curvature of the species.

Palaeontological Significance:

An excellent representative of Lower Cretaceous ammonites from the UK, Cleoniceras species are often used for biostratigraphic correlation within Aptian biozones.

Named and described formally by W.S. Kirkaldy, an authority on mid-Cretaceous cephalopods.

All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Scale cube = 1cm: Full sizing please see photo. The Fossil is a carefully chosen piece, with a photo that shows the actual specimen you will receive. Sourced from the Alice Purnell Collection.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[uploadsbabie]

[new-dinosaurs]

Comptonatus chasei Lockwood et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Dentary [lower jaw bone] and schematic diagram of the skull of Comptonatus chasei [scale bars = 50 mm for the dentary and 100 mm for the skull diagram], with preserved bones in yellow, from Lockwood et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Comptonatus = Compton thunderer [in Latin]; chasei = for Nick Chase [discoverer of the original fossil]

Age: Early Cretaceous (Barremian)

Where found: Wessex Formation, Isle of Wight, U.K.

How much is known: Nearly complete skeleton of one individual.

Notes: Comptonatus was an iguanodontian, a diverse group of plant-eating dinosaurs that includes the duck-billed hadrosaurids. It is one of the most completely known iguanodontians from Britain and can be distinguished from other British iguanodontians by numerous anatomical features, including a lower jaw that is essentially straight in side view, as well as an expanded forward-pointing projection on the pubis (one of the hip bones). Historically, all large iguanodontian fossils from the Early Cretaceous of southern England were usually assigned to one of two genera, Mantellisaurus and the more robust Iguanodon, but the discovery of Comptonatus adds to a growing understanding that these dinosaurs were more diverse in this general time and region than previously appreciated.

Reference: Lockwood, J.A.F., D.M. Martill, and S.C.R. Maidment. 2024. Comptonatus chasei, a new iguanodontian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 22: 2346573. doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2346573

[creature-studios]

If he sees this that would make me so happy! Now this was hard to draw. I'm not satisfied with how the eyes turned out and my pencil decided to freak out and leave a smudge on his nose that I couldn't erase, so I had to get rid of it digitally as best I could. All in all I think it's alright.

Darren Naish is a British vertebrate palaeontologist, author, and science communicator. He is well known for his research on dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles, including Eotyrannus, Xenoposeidon, and azhdarchid pterosaurs. Much of his work has focused on fossils from the Wealden Group on the Isle of Wight. Naish founded the vertebrate palaeozoology blog Tetrapod Zoology and has written several popular science books. He frequently appears in media and serves as a scientific consultant for film, television, museums, and exhibitions. Additionally, he has examined cryptozoology and sea monster sightings from a scientific perspective.

Naish earned a geology degree from the University of Southampton and later studied vertebrate palaeontology under David Martill at the University of Portsmouth, where he obtained both an M.Phil. and Ph.D.. His doctoral work focused on the basal tyrannosauroid theropod Eotyrannus, which he and colleagues named in 2001. He has published research on various theropods, including Thecocoelurus, Calamospondylus, and Aristosuchus. Naish has also contributed to studies on sauropod dinosaurs, pterosaurs, fossil marine reptiles, turtles, and marine mammals. His work includes a reinterpretation of the Romanian fossil Heptasteornis, which he and Gareth Dyke argued was an alvarezsaurid.

Beyond his research, Naish has played a significant role in palaeoart and science communication. He co-authored All Yesterdays, a book that explores speculative reconstructions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The book challenges traditional palaeoart by depicting dinosaurs with plausible but unconventional adaptations. Naish also served as the lead consultant for the Apple TV+ documentary series Prehistoric Planet, which aimed to depict prehistoric life with scientific accuracy. His contributions have helped shape modern interpretations of dinosaurs and their behavior.

[bluenoo42]

What's your favorite dinosaur?

I like thyreophora which is the clade that includes both ankylosaurs and stegosaurs and also more basal members such as scelidosaurus. within that clade it's hard to choose, but if I had to pick, I'd probably go with Polacanthus which is from the early cretaceous wealden group (Wessex formation) and is known from the type specimen found on the Isle of Wight in 1865 by William Fox (which is where it gets its species name foxii. It is known from relatively few remains, some of which have now been reassigned to Vectipelta. There is part of a Polacanthus specimen coming out of the cliff at Brook Beach at the moment and one of the guides who does the fossil tours with me found a piece of Polacanthus armour recently on the beach!

[pers-books]

New wasp species named after Doctor Who villain

‘Dalek’ wasps are among 815 new species described by Natural History Museum scientists in 2023

Nilima Marshall - 4 hours ago

Fourteen newly discovered species of wasps have been named after the villainous Daleks from Doctor Who to mark the 60th anniversary of the popular sci-fi series.

The insects, which bear the genus “Dalek”, are among the 619 new wasp species described this year by London’s Natural History Museum (NHM).

An alien warrior race of mutants, the Daleks are the formidable bad guys in BBC’s long-running TV show.

I thought it was a good name for a genus and a bit of fun having been a big fan of Doctor Who in my early years

Dr John Noyes, NHM

One particular species of wasp from Costa Rica called Dalek nationi also honours Terry Nation, the Welsh screenwriter and novelist who created the mutant race that terrified children for the past six decades.

Dr John Noyes, scientific associate at the NHM, said: “I thought it was a good name for a genus and a bit of fun having been a big fan of Doctor Who in my early years.”

A total of 815 new species were described by NHM scientists in 2023, including a 407-million-year-old parasitic fungus named after children’s author Beatrix Potter.

Potteromyces asteroxylicola was discovered infecting the roots of ancient plants and is thought to be the earliest disease-causing fungus ever discovered.

The researchers said they wanted to honour Potter’s reputation as a dedicated mycologist – someone who studies and works with fungi.

Dr Christine Strullu-Derrien, scientific associate at the NHM, who helped identify the new Potter fungus, said: “Naming this important species after Beatrix Potter seems a fitting tribute to her remarkable work and commitment to piecing together the secrets of fungi.”

Highlights also include fossil remains of a new dinosaur species found on the Isle of Wight, which was named Vectipelta barretti after NHM Professor Paul Barrett who worked there for two decades.

It is first the dinosaur discovered on the island for 142 years.

Other notable discoveries also include fossil remains of a giant penguin called Kumimanu fordycei – believed to be the largest penguin that ever lived – and nine new species of bristle worms including two bone-eating worms.

The researchers also report new species being discovered in “unremarkable” urban environments, including a stick insect called Micropodacanthus tweedae that was found on the side of a bin in Australia, and a moth that was located in Ealing, west London, called Tachystola mulliganae, which turned out be a new species native to Western Australia.

T. mulliganae is named after Barbara Mulligan, a lifelong moth enthusiast who discovered the species.

Mark Sterling, a scientific associate at NHM, described the finding as “real coup for citizen science”.

The new species descriptions contributed to the 722 new research papers released by the NHM over the past 12 months.

[justforbooks]

Stephen Salter, who has died aged 85, was the inventor of the Salter’s Duck, a wave-power device that was the first of its kind and promised to provide a new source of renewable energy for the world – until it was effectively killed off by the nuclear industry.

In 1982, after eight years of development under Salter’s direction at Edinburgh University, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) was asked by the government to see if the duck might be a cost-effective way of making large quantities of electricity. To the great surprise of Salter, and others, the UKAEA came to the conclusion that it was uneconomic, and that no further government funding should be given to the project.

A decade later it emerged that thanks to a misplaced decimal point, the review had made Salter’s duck look 10 times more expensive than the experiments showed it was likely to be. The UKAEA claimed this was just a mistake, but Salter, who had never been allowed to see the results of the secret evaluation, put it another way: asking the nuclear industry to evaluate an alternative source of energy was like putting King Herod in charge of a children’s home, he suggested.

By then, however, Salter had become interested in other projects, and as a result his duck has never been tested at sea – although wave-power devices using some of his technology are now in development in the Orkneys and off the coast of Portugal.

The prototype ducks, developed in a multidirectional wave tank of Salter’s invention, are now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, where there are a number of other exhibits with links to him, including the only remaining Black Knight rocket, a UK ballistic missile from the 1950s, and Freddy the Robot, from the 60s, the first machine to have artificial intelligence that could “see” and had a sense of touch. He also invented the Dervish, a low-cost method of clearing landmines, by using a revolving three-wheeled mechanism with a constantly changing path.

Perhaps the range of those projects sums up Salter’s mind better than anything else. Colleagues who worked with him said that while other scientists concentrated for years on one subject to the exclusion of all others, Salter was fascinated by new problems.

Although it was the oil shock of 1973 that first stimulated his interest in renewable energy, he later became one of the first scientists to realise the dangers of climate change. Doubting that the slow pace of cutting fossil-fuel use would be enough to save the planet from dangerous overheating, at the turn of the 21st century he set up a scheme to develop marine cloud brightening – an idea to produce more and brighter clouds in the middle of the oceans in order to reflect sunlight back into space, thereby keeping the oceans cooler and reducing sea-level rise.

He designed a project to build a large number of automated ships spraying aerosols from sea water into the atmosphere to create and brighten clouds in the middle of the world’s oceans and – having made a considerable fortune by selling some of his inventions – was able to set up the Lothian School of Technology just outside Edinburgh for £2.4m. The centre provides premises for up to 60 of his students to work on inventions and develop them commercially beyond their time at university.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Stephen was the son of British parents who had emigrated there, Rachel (nee Floyd) and Willoughby de Carle Salter. His father joined the Royal Navy as a meteorologist during the second world war and afterwards the family moved to Britain, where Willoughby became head of a prep school in which Rachel also taught. Stephen attended two boarding schools and then Framlingham college in Suffolk.

By that time he was designing, building and flying model aeroplanes, and his ambition was to take an engineering degree at Cambridge University. But he failed to get good enough grades, instead becoming an apprentice at Saunders-Roe, an Isle of Wight aero- and marine-engineering company, where he was involved in the Black Knight rocket project. After studying at night classes he was finally accepted at Cambridge to study natural sciences including metallurgy.

He moved to Edinburgh University in 1967, aged 29, to become a research fellow working on artificial intelligence in robots. Within six years he was also a lecturer and had begun his work on wave energy. In 1984 he became professor of engineering design.

Perhaps Salter’s left-leaning politics and his willingness to take on the London establishment prevented him from being showered with the honours he deserved, but he was elected to a fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1991, made MBE in 2004, and inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2021. He never stopped working, becoming an emeritus professor at retirement age and continuing to research, advise companies and refine his inventions until the end.

He married Margaret Donaldson, a professor of development psychology at Edinburgh University, in 1973. She died in 2020. He is survived by his younger brother, Edmund.

🔔 Stephen Hugh Salter, inventor, born 7 December 1938; died 23 February 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[newlabdakos]

Polacanthus foxii

(temporal range: 130-125 mio. years ago)

[text from the Wikipedia article, see also link above]

Polacanthus, deriving its name from the Ancient Greek polys-/πολύς- "many" and akantha/ἄκανθα "thorn" or "prickle",[5] is an early armoured, spiked, plant-eating ankylosaurian dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period of England.

In the genus Polacanthus several species have been named but only the type species Polacanthus foxii is today seen as valid.

Polacanthus was a quadrupedal ornithischian or "bird-hipped" dinosaur. It lived 130 to 125 million years ago in what is now western Europe.[6] Polacanthus foxii was named after a find on the Isle of Wight in 1865. There are not many fossil remains of this creature, and some important anatomical features, such as its skull, are poorly known. Early depictions often gave it a very generic head as it was only known from the rear half of the creature. It grew to about 5 metres (16 ft) long. Its body was covered with armour plates and spikes. It possibly was a basal member of the Nodosauridae.

[saritawolff]

#Archovember Day 22 - Istiodactylus latidens

Originally discovered in 1887 on the English Isle of Wight and attributed to the dromaeosaur Ornithodesmus, Istiodactylus latidens was finally described and named as a pterosaur in 2001. Until the 21st century Istiodactylus was not only the only pterosaur with three-dimensionally preserved fossils, but also considered the only known pterosaur of its kind. Currently it exists in its own family (Istiodactylidae) with 5 other known genera. Still, it is truly unique, with large jaw muscles and a low, blunt snout ringed in a semicircle of razor-edged, triangular teeth. These distinctive teeth and jaw muscles indicate it was a scavenger, severing bites from large carcasses in a cookie-cutter fashion. Its large wingspan of 4.3 to 5 metres (14 to 16 ft) long made it adapted for soaring, helping it find carcasses similarly to a vulture.

Living in Early Cretaceous England, Istiodactylus latidens would have lived in a savannah or chaparral environment alongside other pterosaurs, mainly Anhanguerids, such as Coloborhynchus and Caulkicephalus. It would have scavenged from the carcasses of large dinosaurs such as the sauropods Pelorosaurus and Chondrosteosaurus, ornithopods like Iguanodon and Hypsilophodon, and ankylosaurs like Polacanthus. It would have had to use its large wings and soaring ability to locate carcasses before theropods like Neovenator and Aristosuchus got to them.

[uraharafiles]

file : interesting creatures (#1): spinosaurus !

info requested by anon! rhykar copypasted the ENTIRE spinosaurus fun facts post in our drafts onto this post; therefore, thank us both for this one!

the spinosaurus aegyptiacus was a spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what is now north africa, its reign taking place in the mid and late cretaceous period around 93.5 to 110 million years ago, in the cenomanian and albain ages. it went extinct near the end f the cretaceous period.

the spinosaurus aegyptiacus' habitat consisted mostly of mangrove forests and tidal flats (muddy, marshy areas of mostly flat land that tend to be covered in sea or delta water). most of the area it lived in included the land that now harbors egypt and morocco.

spinosaurus fossils have been found in egypt, morocco, tunisia, libya, kenya and algeria, in the bahariya formation (egypt)*, aoufous and tegana formations [kem kem beds] (morocco), chenini formation (tunisia), cabao formation (libya), turkana grits formation (kenya), and gara samani, algeria, as well as the ain el guettar formation, also in tunisia. (fossils of similar spinosaurid have been found in thailand, southern england, brazil, niger, laos, and the isle of wight, among others. pelvic bones and vertebrae found to belong to the spinosaurus aegyptiacus have also been found on the isle of wight.)

the first spinosaurus aegyptiacus fossils were found in the bahariya oasis, in the western egypt desert! these fossils were discovered in 1912, and the spinosaurus was named by paleontologist ernst stromer. the original remains were destroyed in world war 2, on april 24th, 1944.

"spinosaurus" translates from latin. it literally just means "spined lizard."

as is generally obvious knowledge, jurassic park was ridiculously inaccurate. there's a lot, but here's a few!

1: the spinosaurus in the movie had inaccurate jaw strength; a real spinosaurus, who would probably have never even encountered a tyrannosaurus rex, would never have had to adapt to develop a bite force strong enough to break a nearly fully-grown tyrannosaur's neck. (probably not any tyrannosaur- not just the rex.)

2: the nasal horn on the spinosaurus in the movie was unrealistically sharp; paleontology has generally shown that it was probably more blunt.

3: the lacrimal ridges on the spinosaurus in the movie were too small for a spinosaurus the age of the one in the movie. a scientific accuracy would have shown a spinosaurus with a much bigger and more developed set of lacrimal ridges.

4: it is trivial knowledge that the spinosaurus aegyptiacus was bigger than the tyrannosaurus rex; the one in the movie was barely a handful of inches taller than the tyrannosaurus rex it killed; that tyrannosaurus rex was also a juvenile.

we used to nearly collectively think that the spinosaurus hunted in deep rivers and on ocean shores, but recent studies have shown substantial evidence that the spinosaurus was more like a gigantic, evil, probably very smart reptilian heron from hell.

spinosaurus most likely spent more time on the river shores of their north african habitats than inland. evidence of this conclusion includes: a) its nostrils are positioned toward the middle of its snout, suggesting it could mostly submerge itself in order to hide from territorial rivals. b) its pelvis was smaller than most other large carniverous theropods, which suggests that it used the things attached to said pelvis, the tail and hind legs, to chase after quick-moving small riverside creatures and assist itself in submerging into rivers when it had to hide. c) the vertebrae of its tail was also oddly loosely connected, which suggests it used it as a sort of balance to swim or run after riverside prey rather than using it as an aid in deep-sea plunder.

recently discovered evidence suggests that the spinosaurus may have been covered in a skin membrane that could change color, which would have assisted in temperature regulation in cold rivers and potentially have aided in attracting mates and intimidating other dinosaurs. the membrane may have also enabled the spinosaurus to act something like the indominus rex, changing its color to camoflauge itself with its surroundings to hunt, or to hide if a water source was not available or safe to hide in.

we used to think the spinosaurus's sail was used solely for swimming and temperature regulation. but recent discoveries seem to suggest otherwise- the sail may have been used for social displays or species recognition. some also believe the sail was used to store water and lipids in case a river any individual spinosaurus lived near began to dry up.

*1: the particular location mentioned, in more specifics, would be the bahariya oasis in the western desert of egypt.

sources : the dominating source i'd like to give credit to for the information in this post is rhykar, my lovely nerdy professional ghost hunting boyfriend, fellow owner and creator and primary organization person of this account!

send an ask if you want more info, or if you've got more to share! please use this post as a source if you post or use information you found on it!

[uk-fossils]

Authentic Dinosaur Bone Fossil - Isle of Wight, UK - Cretaceous Period - Genuine Specimen w/ COA

This listing is for a 100% genuine Dinosaur Bone Fossil from the Cretaceous Period, found on the world-famous Isle of Wight, UK—one of Europe’s richest dinosaur fossil sites.

This is a carefully selected specimen with clear bone texture, offering a tangible connection to prehistoric life that roamed the Earth around 125 million years ago. The fossil shown in the photo is the exact piece you will receive, professionally photographed to display every detail.

Species: Dinosauria (exact species indeterminate due to fragmentary nature—commonly from Iguanodontids or Theropods native to the Isle of Wight)

Your fossil will come with a Certificate of Authenticity, guaranteeing that it is a legitimate specimen ethically sourced by professionals.

Important Details:

Age: Cretaceous Period (~125 million years old)

Location: Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

Type: Fossilized Dinosaur Bone Fragment

Condition: Natural, unpolished

Provenance: Hand collected from legal collecting zones

Scale Cube: 1cm (please refer to photo for exact size)

Perfect for collectors, educational purposes, or as a unique gift for fossil lovers and dinosaur enthusiasts.

Add a real piece of ancient history to your collection today!

All of our fossils are 100% genuine specimens and come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

[wiggles-mcgee]

Could you give an in-depth analysis on your favorite kind of rock and why?

Oddly enough, I don't actually know a lot of rocks! Just really like them and their structures, textures, etc. If I had to pick favourites, it would be basalt (an absolute classic), or maybe pyrite/fool's gold.

I've grown up and lived most of my life relatively close to the coast, and used to visit the beach with family or friends. We'd go beach combing, and find and compare interesting rocks, pottery shards, weird driftwood, beach glass, and so on. I was obsessed with the volcanic rocks I'd find at the beach, and their bubbles - tiny me couldn't comprehend how we had volcano rocks here when there weren't any volcanoes in Britain!! I still find them interesting and have found and collected many basalts and other volcanic rocks over the years - some even have bits of other rocks in the holes. I've got an impressive piece of amygdaloidal basalt with some quartz crystals formed inside of it!! I actually was lucky enough to go to Iceland a few years ago and was able to bring some basalts and other volcano rocks home - insanely cool!!!!!

As for pyrite, I remember when I was 8 we went fossil hunting with one of my mum's coworkers, and he split open a rock, with a sparkly, yellowish inside. He explained it was called fool's gold and I thought it looked so fun, how bright yellow and (relatively) soft it was. I'm not actually sure if that was genuine pyrite, of course, because I was an 8 year old kid, not a rock expert, but I have enjoyed the rock ever since. I just think its neat!!

A few more honourable rock mentions include whatever Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight has got going on, a perfectly spherical piece of beach glass my dad found one day at the beach, smooth rocks that feel nice in my mouth and taste like the sea, and hag stones, of which I own quite a few and need to make a proper necklace of one day. Sadly my uni is nowhere near the coast so I can't look at rocks anymore unless I'm home for the holidays :(

[24worldnewsnet]

Workboats set course for greener seasA wide range of workboats are on display on pontoons at the Seawork trade exhibitionFrom patrolling harbours to ferrying maintenance crews to and from wind farms, workboats are the life blood of our rivers and coasts.But, just like the shipping industry, tough questions are being asked about how the sector can play its part in tackling climate change.With the ambition of net zero by 2050 new technologies are being trialled to reduce the impact of an industry reliant on fossil fuels.But cost and practicalities threaten the transformation with being left dragging its anchors.Alg Bennet from Lymington developed an electric outboard engine and battery system after being frustrated with what was on offer For Alg Bennett from Lymington it was frustration with what was on offer that led to his greener voyage. Switching from traditional outboard engines to an electric alternative, he was disappointed with the battery options."We ended up actually designing and building our own batteries in waterproof cases so we could take them on and off the boat, making them ultra portable but more importantly ultra safe."To Alg the advantages of a switch to a cleaner, greener propulsion system are obvious."We can take away all of the pollutants and problems that are going in the water and we see that at Lymington, we see that at Christchurch. We see the slick of oil around - and we can remove that."Hundreds of exhibitors gathered in an exhibition hall to show thousands of products from the workboat industryTurning our waters greener is an emerging theme at industry shows like Seawork in Southampton. It brings together exhibitors from around the world to put on show the latest technologies. In between the networking and trade there is talk about how to decarbonise the sector"Reducing use of fossil fuels is the first stop." says Seawork organiser Andrew Webster."Optimising the way engines are being used, including the use of AI. And then different fuels like hydrogen or ammonia or battery."For larger vessels - like those built by Isle of Wight company Diverse Marine - advancements in engine efficiency are playing a key role.But Simon Thomson, international business development director, warns there is no single solution for how the sector hits its target."If we can refine the fuel, refine the system, reduce the carbon output - then it has to be a benefit. But it's a problem - I don't think anybody can answer that question."Alternative fuels provide one option for the workboat industry to cut its emissions in a bid to decarboniseOnboard the Wyke Castle, tug systems to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions have been installed. The vessel currently runs on marine gas oil (MGO) but there is potential to swap to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in the future. It burns with much lower emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) although the impact on the climate of its production has been questioned."Cost will always be the final factor I believe when it comes to companies" says Mark Foster, marine engineering manager at Portland Harbour Authority."The cheaper it becomes, the more it is on the market - much like with solar panels. The lower the cost comes down, the more readily available it is - the more people that will adopt it."What is clear from Seawork is that the maritime industry, including workboats, is changing. The question - is it changing fast enough?You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

[afactaday]

#aFactADay2025

S for Sand and Shingle

#1589: the Jurassic Coast gets a lot of erosion damage (which also helps the famous fossils) so they did a big coastal protection programme on the touristy town of Lyme Regis, spending dozens of millions on a new sea wall. they drove nails up to 19m long into the cliffs to hold them in place, and built rock armour around the harbour, extending the harbour wall. the sand on the beach didn't have quite the right particle size, so they imported 30,000 tonnes of sand from France, and 70,000 tonnes of shingle from the Isle of Wight. which means the closest you can be to French soil in the UK is... Dorset...

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Why is the Isle of Wight also known as Dinosaur Island? In 2018, a group of palaeontologists discovered fossils of an unknown, but seemingly very large dinosaur. It's rare to find dinosaur bones this large in the UK and even Europe.