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Mollusk Beach, Virginia

By Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
Shell bed on the east coast. A Nikon camera lens covers sits in the bottom right corner for scale.
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Detailed Description

 In the middle part of the Pliocene, about 3 million years ago, sea level was about 25 meters higher than it is today. Seashells that were then underwater are now exposed high in the bluffs on either side of the James River. These large fossil shells, mostly Chesapectin, have eroded out of the bluffs and cover the beaches near Smithfield, Virginia.

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.