Antigua’s geologic history is a mystery to me but in the month since I arrived, I’ve learned that some of the island is volcanic in origin; a dome of magma pushes up through layers of sedimentary rock and then, as volcanoes are prone to do, spews its nasty hot innards up and out to form new topography. As the volcanic dome emerged it brought up a ring of sedimentary rock around itself. This rock contains layers of fossil coral and other marine creatures that were laid down sometime before I was born. Geologic time scales never cease to boggle the small human brain that I possess.
Just across the bay from my house, there is a long rugged beach of rocks beneath steep cliffs that are stratified with layers and layers of fossils. As erosion occurs, the land gives up its bounty to the sea and the beach is littered with remnants from the past. Michael first took me there the week after I arrived and today we piled F, N and her intrepid 7-year old triplets plus three dogs into the back of Sue B for a return trip.
We fossil hunters were equipped with sharp eyes, plenty of water, some snacks and bags to carry our bounty home with. The triplets picked up many more ‘twirly whirly’ fossil shells than the adults because of their sharp youthful eyes and close proximity to the ground. A great way to spend a Sunday morning in the Caribbean!
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