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East, Virginia

Purse State Park MD

Potomac shark-tooth beach

Fossil site, tidal Source-confirmed findsLegal to collect
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What you could find

Reported finds from this shoreline.

Shark teethShark teeth

Also reported: Striatolamia), ray plates, Turritella casts, occasional reptile fragments.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Dominik Vogt (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Why this spot

Rockhounding locality: Paleocene Aquia Formation cliffs on the tidal Potomac shed 60-million-year-old shark teeth onto a narrow gravel beach

Maryland DNR promotes the site for shark-tooth hunting and Fossil Forum trip reports document named finds including Otodus obliquus

Before you go

Hazards noted for this site.

Tidal cutoff on narrow beachUnstable eroding cliffs, muddy access trail

Keep exploring nearby

More spots in this area.

Check access and collecting rules for each site.
Nanjemoy MD: Purse beach Paleocene shark teeth3 km away · Fossil site
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Douglas Point, Potomac shoreline4 km away · Fossil site
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Aquia Landing Park6 km away · Fossil site
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Purse State Park / Douglas Point (Potomac)9 km away · Fossil site
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