Fossil Finding at Møns Klint!

It may be small in size, but the more I get to explore other parts of Denmark, the more impressed I am with the diversity of the landscape. Okay, so there are relatively few mountains and forests, BUT this weekend I got to see something very unique to Denmark: the great chalk cliffs of Møns Kint.

Sunday I got up early and took my usual commute into the city. I got on a bus with 34 other DIS students and settled in for a two hour ride to the Danish Island of Møn. The drive was actually beautiful. Farmlands and countryside, adorable little towns with buildings of different colors from the ones in Copenhagen, and even rolling hills. Pretty as it was, the drive was nothing in comparison to the cliffs!

When we got off the bus, we were spilt into two groups for our tours "down to the beach." I knew very little about our destination (only that it was supposed to be a very cool nature-related site to see) and so wasn't sure what to expect. Our (very Danish) guide greeted us warmly and began by explaining a little bit about the area. Before too long we began the decent down many, many, many stairs...

Walking down into the forest

The guide explained that there are virtually no nutrients in the soil, so the trees grow all twisted and spread out in an attempt to find nourishment to grow

One of the shells covered in chalk that forms the cliffs

We got to the first lookout where our guide began to explain a little bit about the landscape. Aparantly, about 70 million years ago, Denmark was covered by oceans of lukewarm water teeming with microscopic algea and little critters. Through millions of years, their shells were deposited into a thick layer of chalk on the bottom of the ocean until the time when the continents began to form/rise and the chalk was pushed up into these giant land masses that became part of the Danish coast line when the last ice age ended and the ice that covered the land peeled off.

Our guide explaining the cliffs' formation 

My first view of the cliffs! You can use the tree at the top to help you get a sense of the size

Down and down and down... 

The final steps to the beach...

Ta da! Wow! It was so spectacular! And the clouds cleared away just as we got down.

Who knew that Denmark had such spectacular waters? 

Many rocks were covered with algae and moss

The chalk on the cliffs are remains from the skeletons of the ancient sea life (from 70 million years ago). Fossils can be found both in chalk and in flint and are scattered for miles along the beaches. The task they had given us was to search for fossils. Everyone got really into it, which made the whole thing a lot of fun.

Standing on some of the chalky ocean floor bed. Those are tiny, tiny mussel shells next to my feet 

While some of the water was crystal clear and portions of the floor were made of rocks and shells, there were other parts of the beach that we covered in chalk

Evan walking on the mossy rocks searching for fossils. 

That's me! This time with another one of the cliffs in the background

We spent nearly two hours walking the beaches. At some points, chalk and rocks would come tumbling down and everyone would duck and cover. According to our guide, an average of 2-4cm of the cliff erode every year, which means in about 50,000 years there will be nothing left (so if you are interested in coming, you better book your plane tickets soon). 

Classmates searching for fossils (you can get an idea of how majestic the cliffs were by noting the size of my classmates)

Again, those tiny little dots are people

At some point, clouds swept in and it drizzled for about 3 minutes. Then the clouds receded leaving us with a very dramatic scene.

At some point, Evan, Mo (another Dickinson student) and I knew that we had to begin the long trek back up to the visitors' center for lunch and to see the exhibit. As we turned around the sky became a beautiful blue once again.

modeling on the beach with Mo (in our awesome sunglasses)

On the way, we passed several natural springs. Mo filled her waterbottle and said it was delicious. I figured it was worth a sample too...

filling it up

SO refreshing

We began the journey back up 900 stairs...

oy

Through the forest with the really cool trees

After a lunch at the cafe of the visitors' center, we went to explore the exhibit. While it was really, really cool, we actually have no idea what we were really supposed to be learning...

Walking "inside" one of the cliffs 

We then ended up in this random room, the purpose of which remains unknown

But seriously... look how cool the whole thing was!

We got to write on a giant chalk board with chalk from the cliffs!

There was also a little place to look at fossils under microscopes and the chance to have a museum guide help you to identify the things you found.

A guide helps me to identify my fossils! 

I brought in quite a haul! I found many fossilized sponges, some fossilized octopus tentacles, really cool sea urchins, and a few belemnites (I think that was what they were called). I have never found a fossil before (though, as my brother likes to tease me about, I have actually looked on several occasions), so it was really cool to find so many. And... we got to bring them home! Mira was fascinated so I gave her most of them, but I saved a few to bring home.

My finds! Everyone in my group was very impressed.

We eventually got back on the buses and took our two hour drive home. On the way it started snowing (crazy! it's April!), but we were grateful that the weather was so nice while we were actually on the beaches. As we drove and I looked through pictures I thought about how surreal the whole thing was. I really had no idea that such a thing existed (and definitely never would have thought they'd be in Denmark). Major props to DIS for organizing the whole thing. A fantastic way to spend a Sunday! :-)

Mo, Me, Evan