About Fernandina Fossils

Amelia Island has a lucky thirteen miles of white sand beaches, composed of Appalachian quartz which produces soft, sparkling sand. Beachcombing is rich, too, due to the exceptionally deep Cumberland sound to the North, favored home of Sharks for millions of years. This, in combination with regular dredging to keep the sound clear for the nuclear submarines at Mayport, guarantees a regular supply of shark’s teeth and other fossils. The Island has a good selection of shells and sea life, as is clear from our blogs.

This site is my attempt to gather and share resources about this magical Island and the treasures that can be found here – most of them millions of years old. I have joined with local “toothers” and other fossil hunters to document the breadth of fossils that can be found simply by walking the beach; and have worked with paleontologists who specialize in Florida and the Atlantic Coastal Plain to correctly identify these fossils.