Walton-on-the-Naze
Region: Essex
Nearest Town: Walton-on-the-Naze
Geological Age: Ypresian • Eocene • Palaeogene • Cenozoic
Site Type: Foreshore • Cliff
About the Site
Walton-on-the-Naze is one of the best-known fossil localities on the Essex coast. The LBPS locality covers the cliffs and foreshore around The Naze, the headland immediately north of Walton-on-the-Naze.
The site is unusual because two very different fossil-bearing successions are exposed in the same cliffs. At the base are Early Eocene deposits around 50 million years old, including the upper Wrabness Member and the Walton Member. These are especially important for fossil fish, reptiles, birds, plants and wood.
Much younger Red Crag Formation sands lie unconformably above them. These were deposited tens of millions of years later and contain an abundant marine shell fauna alongside other fossils.
Natural erosion continually changes the cliffs and releases fossils onto the beach, making Walton an excellent locality for observing both geology and active coastal processes.
Geology & Stratigraphy
The cliffs at Walton-on-the-Naze expose a particularly important section through the lower part of the Thames Group, overlain much later by the Red Crag Formation.
Wrabness Member
The lowest exposed Palaeogene deposits belong to the Wrabness Member of the Harwich Formation.
The Wrabness Member consists mainly of clayey silts and silty clays and is notable for numerous volcanic ash layers. These ash beds record explosive volcanic activity in the North Atlantic region during the Early Eocene.
Older literature commonly refers to these beds as London Clay Division A1 or the upper part of the former Harwich Member. Under the modern BGS framework they belong to the Wrabness Member of the Harwich Formation rather than the London Clay Formation.
The upper part of the Wrabness Member is exposed on the cliffs and foreshore at The Naze.
Walton Member
Above the Wrabness Member lies the Walton Member, which forms the lowest formal member of the modern London Clay Formation.
Walton-on-the-Naze is the type locality from which the Walton Member takes its name.
The member consists mainly of silty clay and clayey silt, with very fine sandy layers, lignitic plant debris and pyrite. Fossil wood occurs locally, sometimes within concretions.
Older literature refers to the Walton Member as London Clay Division A2.
The boundary between the Wrabness and Walton members is particularly important because Walton preserves one of the best exposed sections through this part of the Early Eocene succession in eastern England.
Red Crag Formation
The Early Eocene deposits are overlain unconformably by the much younger Red Crag Formation.
This represents a very large gap in the geological record. The Red Crag was deposited during the late Pliocene to earliest Pleistocene, more than 45 million years after the underlying Early Eocene rocks.
It consists largely of orange, red-brown and yellow, cross-bedded marine sand containing abundant shells. The cross-bedding records the movement of large underwater sand waves under strong tidal currents.
The contact between the Red Crag and the underlying Thames Group is an unconformity produced after a prolonged period of erosion and non-deposition.
Younger superficial sands and gravels occur above the Red Crag in the upper parts of the cliff.
Palaeoenvironment & Palaeoecology
Walton records two completely different marine environments separated by tens of millions of years.
Early Eocene
The Wrabness and Walton members were deposited in the Early Eocene sea occupying the London Basin.
The Wrabness Member represents an inner- to mid-shelf marine setting. Fine sediment accumulated on the seabed while repeated volcanic ash falls entered the basin.
The overlying Walton Member records continued marine deposition, ranging from inner- to more offshore shelf conditions. Fine mud and silt accumulated alongside plant debris and wood transported from nearby land.
The mixture of marine vertebrates with terrestrial plants and birds shows that the coastline and vegetated land were sufficiently close for terrestrial material to enter the marine environment.
Red Crag
The Red Crag represents a much younger shallow marine sea.
Large-scale cross-bedding and extensively transported shell material indicate a high-energy environment dominated by powerful tidal currents. Sand was moved across the seabed in large submarine dunes or sand waves.
The Red Crag fauna therefore belongs to an entirely different ecosystem from the Early Eocene animals and plants preserved beneath it.
Fossil Preservation & Taphonomy
Preservation differs markedly between the Early Eocene deposits and the Red Crag.
Wrabness and Walton members
Fossils in the Early Eocene silts and clays can occur in small concentrations sometimes described historically as woody pockets. These may contain pieces of wood and plant material together with fish remains, shark teeth and vertebrate bones.
Walton is particularly noted for groups of associated bird bones. Some specimens consist of several bones from the same individual rather than isolated elements, indicating relatively rapid burial in small depressions or concentrations on the ancient seabed.
Plant material includes wood, fruits and seeds. Some plant remains are carbonised, while other material can be associated with pyrite.
Once fossils are released by cliff erosion they become mixed into the modern beach deposit and may be moved, broken or abraded by waves.
Red Crag
Red Crag shells commonly show evidence of transport. Many are broken, worn or concentrated together by the strong currents that moved the original sands.
Shell preservation can vary considerably. Some retain recognisable shell material while others occur as fragments or moulds.
Loose fossils on the modern beach may have fallen from either the Early Eocene deposits or the Red Crag. A fossil’s position on the beach therefore does not by itself prove which geological unit it came from.
Collecting Guidance
Low tide gives the best access to the fossil-bearing beach.
Current visitor guidance for The Naze advises that there is no beach access for approximately three hours before or after high tide, so plan the visit around a suitable low-water window rather than simply arriving shortly before high tide.
Natural cliff erosion continually supplies new material to the beach. Recently exposed loose material can be productive, but never approach or work beneath a fresh cliff fall simply because new sediment has appeared.
Search slowly through shingle, clay and loose material rather than concentrating only on obvious large shells.
Sturdy waterproof footwear with good grip is essential.
Useful equipment includes:
small specimen bags or boxes
a hand lens
gloves
a kneeling pad
labels or a notebook for recording where material was found
a phone for checking tide information
A geological hammer is not recommended because fossils must not be excavated from the protected cliff.
What to Look For
The beach contains fossils derived from both the Early Eocene Thames Group and the much younger Red Crag, so first look at the type of material surrounding the fossil.
Early Eocene material
Small shark and fish teeth can occur amongst dark clay, shingle and eroded sediment. Look for smooth enamel, a definite crown and, where preserved, a recognisable root rather than assuming every pointed dark fragment is a tooth.
Pieces of fossil wood and plant material may occur amongst the London Clay debris.
Small vertebrate bones can also occur. Walton is particularly significant for fossil birds, but individual bones can be small and difficult to identify. Record unusual vertebrate material carefully rather than attempting a confident identification on the beach.
Red Crag material
The orange and reddish sandy material commonly contains marine shells and shell fragments.
Look for recognisable gastropod coils, bivalve valves and other shell material amongst the loose sand and cliff debris. Many shells show breakage or wear caused by transport before burial.
Because material becomes mixed after falling onto the beach, do not automatically assign every loose fossil to the geological layer directly above where it was found.
Use the automatic Fossils at this Site section for individual species identification.
Fossils at this Site
Explore fossils recorded from this site, see how to recognise them and, where enough LBPS records exist, what collectors are actually finding.
What collectors are finding
Typical examples from this site
Different anatomical parts or preservation styles can look very different. Choose an example to view it larger.
About this information
Fossil occurrences come from reviewed LBPS records. Encounter frequency and abundance use eligible collecting sessions where all finds were recorded. Preservation rarity uses the condition recorded at the time of collecting. Identification photographs may come from dedicated Fossil Examples or linked public LBPS Specimens; neither influences rarity or frequency calculations.
Visitor & Access Information
General Location
The Naze, immediately north of Walton-on-the-Naze on the north-east Essex coast.
The LBPS locality covers the fossil-bearing cliffs and accessible foreshore along the eastern, seaward side of the Naze headland.
Directions
The easiest access is via The Naze Nature Discovery Centre, Old Hall Lane, Walton-on-the-Naze, CO14 8LE.
From the visitor centre and Naze Tower area, established paths and steps lead towards the beach.
Once on the foreshore, the fossil-bearing cliffs continue northwards along the eastern side of The Naze.
Check tide times before descending to the beach.
Parking
A large pay-and-display car park is situated beside the Naze Nature Discovery Centre on Old Hall Lane.
Blue Badge parking is available under the current car park arrangements.
Parking charges and conditions can change, so check the signs displayed when visiting.
Terrain
The beach varies between sand, shingle, clay and fallen cliff material.
The cliffs are actively eroding and contain numerous landslips and areas of loose sediment. Wet London Clay can be extremely slippery.
Access from the clifftop involves uneven paths and steps. Accessibility on the open space around the visitor centre is considerably easier than access to the beach itself.
Access, Permissions & Responsible Collecting
The Naze is a well-established public visitor site with access to the beach from the public open space around the Naze Nature Discovery Centre.
Collect loose fossils that have already weathered or fallen naturally onto the beach.
Current site guidance states that fossils still embedded within the cliffs must not be removed. Do not hammer, dig or cut into the cliff face.
This restriction is particularly important because the cliffs are both scientifically protected and actively unstable.
Avoid disturbing vegetation, nesting birds and other wildlife around The Naze and neighbouring nature reserve.
Take a reasonable amount of material and leave scientifically significant specimens with accurate locality information.
Safety & Legal Information
Safety Information
The major hazards are unstable cliffs and tides.
The Naze cliffs are actively eroding and landslips and cliff falls occur regularly. Keep well away from the cliff face, particularly beneath overhanging or recently collapsed areas.
Never climb the cliffs or enter cracks and hollows within landslips.
Wet London Clay is extremely slippery, and fallen material can contain concealed holes and unstable blocks.
Check tide times before visiting. The incoming tide can restrict or completely remove sections of beach access.
Current site guidance advises that beach access is unavailable for approximately three hours either side of high tide.
Wear sturdy footwear, supervise children closely and allow plenty of time to leave the beach safely.
SSSI / Legal Restrictions
The fossil-bearing cliffs form part of The Naze Site of Special Scientific Interest and are protected for their geological and palaeontological importance.
Current site-management guidance makes an important distinction:
Fossils that have naturally eroded from the cliffs and are lying loose on the beach may be collected. Fossils still embedded within the cliffs must not be removed.
Do not hammer, dig or excavate the cliff face.
The wider Naze is also important for wildlife, particularly migrating and breeding birds. Follow any seasonal signs or access restrictions and avoid disturbing protected habitats.