20 Million Year Old Mud & Fossils

The beach we're near is beautiful. But then most beaches are, aren't they? It stretches for miles, uninterrupted in both directions. There are only a few houses visible on the cliffs, with an occasional freshwater stream running from the cliffs to the sea, carving an ever changing path through the sand.


There are stretches of soft sand, pebbles and small cobble stones, and a few areas of hardened mud. If you know Rick then you know the formations of hardened mud were what he found most interesting. Yes, he picked up agate and jasper gems, but he also found clam and snail shells that looked like fossils. These held his interest more than the pebbles. He tried to get me interested in the hardened areas of mud, but I wandered away in search of colorful agate gems. After visiting the beach he checked the Internet for more information on the mud and old shells and found an interesting website titled OregonFossilGuy.com

Rick learned from the Internet that he had been playing in 20 MILLION YEAR OLD MUD!
It's actually hardened, but when you walk on it you feel a little squishiness and softness. Not enough to squish between your toes, more like day-old clay. There are pieces of hard mud broken off that hold fossilized shells, leaves, and twigs. In addition to the small collection of agate gems, we also have a small collection of choice fossil shells. Not sure what we'll do with them, but perhaps when we're far from the Oregon coast we will look at them and remember the beautiful beach.