Reg. Charity No. 1168330

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2016

The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival (http://www.fossilfestival.com) will be taking place this year from Friday 29^th April til Sunday 1^st May 2016. The event is located in and around the Lyme Regis coast and town and at the Charmouth Heritage Centre.

The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival is an annual event for the whole family. The Festival seeks to enthuse young and old about science, and Earth sciences in particular. Enjoy walks, talks, theatre, music, comedy, exhibits and lots of hands-on science for all ages. Meet scientists from the Palaeontological Association, the Natural History Museum, British Antarctic Survey, Plymouth University, Natural England, Jurassic Coast Trust, Dorset Geologists, the Geological Society, Lyme Regis Museum, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, National Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust, the National Oceanography Centre, Dinosaur Isle and many more.

Entry to all exhibition venues is free, and there is a small charge for talks. The Fossil Fair offers fun and rare fossils, minerals and jewellery from 50p upwards. There will be lots of street performance, as well as music at The Marine Theatre on the Friday night.

PalAss Presents

The Palaeontological Association will once again be showcasing the wonders of fossils at our very own stand at the Marine Theatre. During the festival we will be presenting "When am I?" an interactive and fun learning experience using a map of geological time to explore our fossil displays and reconstructions and work out when in geological time each display represents. There will be lots of specimens to hold and touch and expert palaeontologists on hand to answer all of your fossil questions! In addition, palaeoartist James McKay will bring to life visitors' favourite UK fossils or draw and paint their own fantasy fossils.

New Postcards

The new PalAss 2016 postcards created especially for the Association will be available to pick up at our stand. The six new designs by palaeoartist James McKay each feature a unique geological time period are as follows:

The Palaeontological Association Postcard #1 - Silurian. Wenlock Formation, Welsh Borders 430 myr ago. Foreground: Syringopora (centre) and Favosites corals (bottom), jawless fishes Birkenia (left) and Hemicyclaspis (right), trilobites Dalmanites (large) and Calymene (small). Background: Crinoids (stalked plant-like animals) and orthocones (squid-like animals).	The Palaeontological Association Postcard #2 - Carboniferous: Bolsover, Derbyshire 300 myr ago. Foreground: ‘Beast of Bolsover’ Eraspiteron bolsoveri (early dragonfly). Background: Lepidodendron (left and extreme right), Sigillaria (middle) – giant tree-like plants related to modern day clubmosses.
The Palaeontological Association Postcard #3 - Jurassic: Dorset, southern England 195 myr ago. Foreground: Caenisites turneri (ammonite), Ichthyosaurus anningae (ichthyosaur). Background: Archaeonectrus rostratus (plesiosaur).	The Palaeontological Association Postcard #4 - Cretaceous: Weald, southern England 125 myr ago. Foreground: Baryonyx walkeri (meat-eating dinosaur). Background: Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis (plant-eating dinosaur), Koumpiodontosuchus aprosdokitii (small crocodile).
The Palaeontological Association Postcard #5 - Eocene: London Clay Formation, southern England 50 myr ago. Foreground: Allaeochelys (pig-nosed turtle), Nymphaeaceae (water lilies). Background: (left) Nypa (palm trees), Cupressaceae (Cypress), Kentisuchus spenceri (crocodile), (right) Coryphodon eocaenus (large plant-eating mammal), Dasornis (large seabirds in sky).	The Palaeontological Association Postcard #6 - Pleistocene: Kirkdale Cave, North Yorks 125,000 years ago. Foreground: Crocuta crocuta spelaea (cave hyena). Background: (left) Palaeoloxodon antiquus (straight-tusked elephant), (right) Hippopotamus amphibius (hippo).