Summer is the perfect time to dig in and learn more about fossils! Budding paleontologists of all ages will love exploring the “Harry and Penny Batten Hands-on Fossil Education” collection at the Dorchester Heritage Center. The Battens have amassed a remarkable collection that’s partially on display at the museum. Because the collection is so large, we thought sharing them using a hands-on approach would bring the greatest educational impact. Visitors are permitted to examine them, touch them and compare them, for an up-close, personal view.
Our region sits atop one of the largest fossil deposits of pre-historic marine and land animals in the United States. Fossils records from the geological past give us clues about changes in our climate and environment over time. Fossil-rich strata around Charleston preserves two unique time periods during the formation of the Atlantic Ocean. It holds information about the origins of modern marine life as a response to the first Antarctic glaciation during the Oligocene epoch, which happened 30-23 million years ago! The strata also uncovered artifacts of the early ice ages, occurring 1-2 million years ago.
The Dorchester Heritage Center is open this summer, Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 am through 4:00 pm. Make plans to beat the summer heat and discover the fascinating artifacts left behind as our world shifted and changed, millions of years ago.