Westmoreland State Park

The photos below were taken during a summer field trip of Geology 112 students to Westmoreland State Park. The park is located on the south banks of the Potomac River estuary. The distinctive, steep cliffs that rise from the water's edge are sediments of the Eocene age Calvert Formation. The Calvert is a very widespread rock unit found throughout most of Virginia's Coastal Plain. The lowest sections of the Calvert contain basal sands, but the upper portion, exposed in the Park, is comprised of light color clays that are rich in diatoms. The Park is also well known for its abundance of shark's teeth that may be found by beachcombers.

The Calvert Formation was originally deposited in moderately deep marine waters. Students in the Geology 112 class can be seen sifting through sediments to find shells and bones of recent organisms as well as fossils of extinct species.

Westmoreland State Park allows collectors to keep any fossils or shells that are in loose sediment. On a good day, all of the students come away with a shark's tooth souvenir!