An Interview with a Paleontologist at the Calvert Museum, Solomans Island, Maryland

Why is important to study fossils?

Fossils help to solve problems such as the relative ages of different rocks, and biological issues concerning the Earth. For example, fossils provide answers to such questions as how big were the whales of the Bay millions of years ago.

What do the fossils on the Chesapeake Bay tell us about what life was like 15 to twenty million years ago?

The 15 million year old fossils of the Bay tell us a lot about the fish, clams, snails and various water animals that were around at the time. They also tell us about the climate of the water the temperature variation and give us strong evidence on the fact that the environment went through dramatic changes.

Where else besides the Chesapeake bay can you find these fossils from the Miocene Area?

The Choptank River located north of the bay has lots of fossils that are washed into the Bay.

Explain to me what the different layers of the Calvert Cliffs represent?

The sand and clays represented on the Calvert Cliffs date back to the Miocene epoch(15-20 million years ago). There are four layers that consist in the Cliffs, the firs layer being the oldest (the layer closest to the water). All four layers have different color and considerable amount of fossils in them. The first layer is called the Calvert Formation, named after Calvert County. The layer consists of bluish clays with abundant shells, numerous marine mammals and reptile bones, a few birds bones and an occasional land mammals bones or teeth. The few vertebrate are remarkably well preserved and found in the blue clay.

The second layer is called, the Choptank Formation which consists almost entirely shells embedded in sand. It lies about twenty feet higher in the Cliff and consists of twelve to fifteen feet of shells packed in yellow sand. Vertebrate remains are scarce in these layers, but every once in awhile bones of porpoises are other animals are found.

The third layer is called, St. Mary's Formation Strata and is best known for its abundance of fossilized snail shells. This layer has a grayish color and is somewhat easy to see.

The fourth layer and youngest layer is called, the Eastover Formation. This layer is rich in a variety of fossils. The color of the layer is sandy brown with patches of gray.

What is the Maryland Fossil?

In 1770 a man by the name of Martin Lister published one of the fist illustration of a fossils from the Calvert Cliffs, a snail referred to as Ecphora quadricostata (snail shell). In 1984, the Maryland State Legislature designed that tiny graceful shell the state Fossil.

What is the oldest fossil ever found on the Chesapeake Bay?

The search is never over because things get washed down from the rivers that are older and older all the time. FYI The Horseshoe Crab is the oldest living fossil.

What is the largest fossil found on the Chesapeake Bay and how old was it?

The largest was a shark back bone, 50 feet long and totally in tacked. The enormous teeth from the shark are 7 inches in length. The largest mammal was a whale 25-30 foot in diameter and the skull was intact at 7 foot long