A large, mysterious fossil appeared on California's Central Coast this week, baffling researchers and setting science Twitter ablaze.
“Definitely one of the best sea fossil specimens I’ve stumbled upon. What on Earth was it?” wrote San Jose State University professor Dustin Mulvaney on Twitter, sharing photos of the strange gray mass, along with other 3-foot-long specimens.
Mulvaney stumbled on this ancient trove below the Capitola bluffs, a small coastal area about 6 miles away from Santa Cruz, he told SFGATE. The rugged shoreline normally isn’t accessible, he said, but he was finally able to visit during low tides. King tides — extreme high and low tides, which helped create an “even more dramatic coastline” in Santa Cruz County this winter, the county noted — made for ideal exploring conditions. For any scientist interested in environmentalism or primordial earth, it’s well worth the trek to the Capitola cliffs in particular: “Only that section of bluff has these fossils,” Mulvaney added.
Low tides reveal trove of fossils on California's Central Coast
“Definitely one of the best sea fossil specimens I’ve stumbled upon. What on Earth was it?” wrote San Jose State University professor Dustin Mulvaney on Twitter, sharing photos of the strange gray mass, along with other 3-foot-long specimens.
Mulvaney stumbled on this ancient trove below the Capitola bluffs, a small coastal area about 6 miles away from Santa Cruz, he told SFGATE. The rugged shoreline normally isn’t accessible, he said, but he was finally able to visit during low tides. King tides — extreme high and low tides, which helped create an “even more dramatic coastline” in Santa Cruz County this winter, the county noted — made for ideal exploring conditions. For any scientist interested in environmentalism or primordial earth, it’s well worth the trek to the Capitola cliffs in particular: “Only that section of bluff has these fossils,” Mulvaney added.
Low tides reveal trove of fossils on California's Central Coast