This is an Earthcache – as such, there is no physical cache. Instead you will visit Fossil Beach and perform a geology lesson. This earthcache is located in Westmoreland State Park with permission and can only be accessed during open hours. Click this LINK to learn about Park Entry Fees.

Message from the cache owner:

This is not a PARK and GRAB Earthcache, It is a PARK YOUR BUTT IN THE SAND AND SIFT kind. It may take you 5 minutes, or it could take over an hour. If you you are rushed or impatient, this may not be the Earthcache for you. There is also an option to talk to a shark tooth searching Muggle who is there hunting and ask them if you can "borrow" one of there teeth. This is set at a 4 Difficulty for the time that it will take to locate a sharks tooth and then the effort it takes for you to post a photo of your shark tooth in your found log and identify it.

WESTMORELAND: ANCIENT SHARK BREEDING GROUND

If you scoop up some sand at the water’s edge and sift through the pebbles and shells you’ll soon catch a glimpse of a pointy triangular-shaped shark tooth. You’ll find teeth from sharks such as mako, sand, and tiger. If you are really lucky you might even find the tooth of a Megalodon (some are the size of a human hand!). Millions of years ago, Westmoreland County was under water and a breeding ground for sharks. The shoreline back then was as far in as Fredericksburg and went north towards Alexandria. Like we see in them today, sharks probably didn't give birth to their pups just anywhere,‭ ‬but instead chose what are called nursery areas.‭

A nursery area is where a young shark can live and hunt while being safe from other larger predators.‭ ‬Sharks in nursery areas are considered generalists that attack and eat all manner of creatures including fish,‭ ‬cephalopods‭‬,‭ ‬turtles,‭ ‬and pretty much anything else they can catch. To identify potential nursery areas, paleontologists look for concentrations of smaller megalodon teeth.‭ ‬One area that seems to be plentiful in these teeth in Virginia is here at Fossil Beach.

FOSSILIZATION OF THE TOOTH

Sharks can shed many thousands of teeth throughout their lifetime. In order for these teeth to fossilize, they must sink to the seafloor and be quickly covered by sediment. Rapid burial is important for fossilization for a number of reasons. First, the sediment acts to protect the teeth from the weathering, abrasion, and scavenging that could occur if they were exposed to open water and currents. Secondly, burial also limits exposure to oxygen and bacteria which are responsible for decay.

The process of fossilization is a slow one that usually takes thousands of years. In the case of shark’s teeth, they are preserved through a process known as permineralization. Permineralization occurs as water seeps down through the sediments and over the teeth. This water carries different minerals in it that are deposited into open pore spaces in the teeth. The most common minerals are silica and calcite but other local minerals are deposited as well. Depending on which minerals are present, teeth can be found in a wide variety of different colors, ranging from blue/grey to black to orange/red to white to green.

FINDING A FOSSILIZED SHARK TOOTH

Even though you can find shark teeth at any time here, the best time to search is after a storm or in the morning when the water is calm. Scan along the shore and in the shallow waters. Shark teeth can often be found easily on top of the loose sediment. It might be hard to spot among the shells and pebbles. If you just look on top of the sand you might not have a lot of luck. Look for the color black. Many fossilized shark teeth are black. These are what you are most likely to find along the beach. Other less common colors of shark teeth are gray or brown. Modern shark teeth are usually white in color on the tooth and the root, they are seldom found along the shoreline.

Remember everything you find that is triangular isn't a shark tooth; they could be rocks or stones so be sure that you know how a tooth looks. Scoop up some sand near the water's edge. If you do not spot any teeth on the surface, you will need to start digging. Bring some tools. You might want a shovel, trowel, or bucket. You will probably want something to sift sand with, like a colander or strainer. Dig in a place where sand is unusually elevated. Teeth won't always be on the surface. Sand constantly covers up old sand with new sand. And don't be afraid to get your hands dirty! This is part of the difficulty level of this cache. It took me 15 to 20 minutes to find one tooth.

Fossil collecting is permitted at Westmoreland State Park. Collecting any other resources (plants, animals, historical artifacts, or minerals) is prohibited. Digging in the cliffs and clay base are prohibited by the park.

Fossils are a non-renewable resource. Help the park keep track of them by registering your finds at the Visitors center.

IDENTIFYING THE TOOTH
Sharks have an unlimited supply of teeth, which are not firmly set in their jaws but in their gums, where they appear in layered rows. If a tooth falls out, another one simply moves forward to take its place. Fossil shark teeth are popular fossils to look for here at Westmoreland State Park. One of the more sought after shark is the Megalodon shark, a giant 60 foot shark! You can pick up Fossil Guide at the Visitor Center, or you can look at the one I scanned in below.

LOGGING REQUIREMENTS:

To log this Earthcache: Read the geology lesson above. Answer all four questions posted below. Answers for 1-3 can be sent via e-mail or messenger contacts on my Geocaching profile. Only post the answer to question 4 in your logs.

QUESTION 1. What shark's teeth found here at Fossil Beach are larger than a human hand?

QUESTION 2. How do palaeontologists identify nursery areas?

QUESTION 3. Shark’s teeth are preserved through a process known as ______________.

Find a sharks tooth via scanning the ground or sifting through the sand. You may also ask other beach goers there if they have found a tooth and perhaps ask them if you can borrow it so you can take a photo of it to meet the requirements for this earthcache.

QUESTION 4. In your log tell us how long it took to locate a tooth, how you found it, what size it is, and identify what type of shark it came from.

POST PHOTO. Posting a photo of your tooth find. This readily indicates that you (and anyone else logging the find) are at the location. You do not have to show your face, but the photo should have the shark tooth you found in it. NOTE: Per newly published Earthcache guidelines, this requirement is REQUIRED to claim the find. That said, I will accept any photo's that messaged to me for those who don't like posting log photos.

PLEASE DO NOT CLAIM A FIND IF YOU DO NOT FIND A SHARK TOOTH.

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REFERENCES:

1. Fossil Guide: What they are. how to find them, and a visual identification guide, pamphlet, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

2. ROCKHOUNDING Delaware, Maryland,and the Washington, DC Metro Area, Westmoreland State Park Shark Teeth, Falcon Guides, Robert Beard, 2015, p. 239-241.

3. Fossil Hunting In Virginia, March 20, 2017, horsleyrealestate.com

4. Shark Teeth Identification, phatfossils.com

5. Miocene Fossils at Bayfront Beach, Earthcache by allycatM, geocaching.com

6. Sediment, USGS, USGS

7. C. megalodon, USGS, prehistoric-wildlife.com