Brownie Beach (a place that changes names almost as often as the tides; it’s recently acquired a yet another new name) is a very popular area for collecting fossilized shark teeth. The cliffs here are the northernmost extant of the Calvert Cliffs outcrop, and are the oldest exposed geologic band of Calvert Cliffs. The exposed section of cliff here (an old seabed) is from the early-mid Micoene epoch (Tertiary Period), and is known as the Calvert Formation.
Fossilized shark teeth abound, and if you are willing to spend a little time in the surf, you will no doubt find one or a dozen. Or more. Some of the most common ones you’ll find are lemon/grey shark, tiger shark, contortus, and sand tiger, but you can also find quite a number of others: hammerhead, bull, cow, snaggletooth (some of the prettiest teeth around), sharpnose, angel (rare), thresher (rare), mako – and even the occasional megalodon! It is not unheard of for people to find megalodon teeth ranging from 3-5 inches in size, but those are fairly rare. Most of the teeth you will find are 0.25-0.5 inches long. The more common larger teeth are around 1 inch long. In addition to all this you can find manta ray dental plates (there are 3 basic species here, with Eagle and Aetobatis ray being the most common, Devil ray being more uncommon), various bone fragments from sharks, dolphins/porpoises, and whale (usually rib or vertebrae, but portions of entire skeletons have been found as well, in some of the clay boulders in the surf along the cliff), manta ray sting tails, and even dolphin teeth, among others. If you are very lucky you might even pick up a fossilized barracuda tooth. Edwin Huizinga hosts an extensive webpage devoted to this area that you should read through before coming here if you want to do anything more than just snag the cache (which, btw, is a small red M&M tube).
If you come and want to do a little shark teeth hunting, be prepared to get a little wet. And check the tide tables! Difficult to do this during high tide. The best way to find out the tide heights/times is to go to: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/access/tide_finder.html, click on ‘Chesapeake Beach’ halfway down in the left column, (CB is just a couple miles to the north), select the time frame of interest, then enter. Note that the tide you experience may not always accurately reflect the calculated tide, as wind and storm surges will play a role in just how high/low the tide really is! (I’ve seen low tide so low you have to work at getting wet, and other low tides so high that they felt like high tides).
Final note: if you do want to do some shark teeth hunting, your larger finds will typically be south of the beach, by the cliffs. However, be very careful out there, and tarry not long by the cliffs themselves, as they are not rock, but clay and sand, and can give way without warning or sound. As long as you keep that in mind (and an eye on where you are with respect to the cliffs – avoiding those areas which severely overhang (note all the downed trees – they used to be on top)), you’ll do okay. This is part of the ongoing erosion of the cliffs by the Bay and weather action – and is what replenishes the teeth that are found by so many. Also, do NOT dig directly into the cliffs! This is illegal. You can beachcomb, sift the surf, or dig through the breakdown; those are your best options.
Directions: From Rte 2, south of Annapolis, head east on MD 260 for a few miles until you come to the end at the village of Chesapeake Beach (do not speed as you enter the community; there are sometimes speedtraps waiting for those who don’t obey the "reduced speed" signs). Turn right onto 261 and casually drive through "downtown" Chesapeake Beach (you will go by a train museum on your left at the next light). Continue on and then leave the community of Chesapeake Beach. As you depart, you will go through a residential area, then be surrounded by woods, while the road rises and falls on hills. VERY soon after you leave Chesapeake Beach there will be a pull off and dirt access road to the left at the bottom of a short and steep hill. Turn left here (and watch for pot holes and erosion gullies). This will lead you to a parking area on the right. Park, gear up, and continue following the dirt road east to the beach (located about N 38°40.676’, W076°31.945’)
Once on the beach you’ll have to follow your GPSr. [;)] Once you’re on the trail, try to not linger at the cliff edges. The views may be nice, but see the warning above about the cliffs giving way. Keep a respectful distance back from the edge. If you experience some problems with satellite signal while hunting, be aware that the cache is inland, not at the cliff edge. The worst problem you should have is spiderwebs blocking the trail.
The cache contains a log sheet, the standard geocache notice, and a small ziplock bag with three sample items that you may find along the beach: a grey shark tooth, a manta ray dental plate, and a bone fragment, likely dolphin. Please do not take these! These are meant to show cachers what to look for if they have not hunted for fossils before and want to give a hand at it. Thanks. Oh, and bring your own writing implement for the log!