Large footprints from the dinosaur Iguanadon can occasionally be seen but it takes a skilled eye to spot them. Please do not try to extract these fossils as attempts to do so only lead to damage and deprive other people of the chance to see them. Portland footprints,latest news		The Purbeck Beds are famously displayed in Durlston Bay, just south of Swanage. The rocks form a staggeringly complex sequence that geologists are still puzzling over today. The rocks contain a range of other fossils and features that enable geologists to build up a clear picture of what life was like during this time. Several of the rock layers have perfectly preserved ripple marks, just like the ripples that you will see on the seashore today. However, we know that these rocks did not form in the sea because they also contain fossilised mud cracks and the casts of salt crystals that indicate that the waters were subject to intense evaporation; the sort of conditions found in places such as the Persian Gulf today.
Ripple marks, mud cracks and the impressions of salt crystals known as pseudomorphs, help to build a picture of a past environment similar to the shores of the Persian Gulf today.		Fossils include the remains of reptiles such as crocodiles and turtles, fish and insects together with fresh, and at times, salt-water shells (snails and bivalves). The rocks are also famous as a source of early mammals but these are found as minute teeth and bone fragments picked out under a microscope. The most recent discoveries include fragments of reptile eggshell, the first ever found in Britain. In the winter of 1997 over 100 sauropod footprints were uncovered at Keat's Quarry near Acton. The site is owned by the National Trust and, for the time being, is covered to protect the footprints until the Trust can find a way to both display and protect them from the weather. Over one hundred footprints made by sauropod dinosaurs (massive four legged dinosaurs with a long neck and tail) were uncovered in 1997. There are no distinct trackways which suggests that these animals were largely supported in water and the footprints were made as they bounced across the submerged sediment.
		Exploring the Purbeck Beds The rocks at Durlston Bay, Worbarrow Tout and Bacon Hole contain many of the features illustrated but these are rough places only suitable for the sure-footed. The larger fossils such as dinosaur footprints are very difficult to extract and it is much better to photograph them, giving other people the chance to see them. As with all beaches, stay away from the cliffs and check the tides. Worbarrow Bay and Bacon Hole lie within the Army Ranges which are usually only open at weekends and school holidays. (Details are available from their telephone number 01929 462721). Bacon Hole is less than a mile from the Fossil Forest which is accessed from Lulworth Cove, making a great day of exploration.
		The Army Ranges around Worbarrow Bay are among the most spectacular sections of the Dorset coast
Portland footprints,latest news
		Swanage Tythe Barn Museum, Langton Matravers Museum and Dorset County Museum contain examples of footprints and other fossils from the Purbeck Beds. The bar at the New Inn at Kingston must be unique as it is faced with limestone that contains fossilised mud cracks. For detailed information about the geology and fossils of the Purbeck Beds, check out Ian West's Geological Directory under the links section.