Search For Fossils At South Carolina’s Morris Island, Which Was Completely Underwater Once Upon A Time

According to a 2021 Wall Street Journal article, fossil hunting is "the next big hobby." Those who participate in the activity say it’s an extremely satisfying and rewarding experience. For those interested, there are numerous places for fossil hunting in South Carolina!

Morris Island is one of the great places to hunt for fossils in South Carolina. Visit the South Carolina State Library Digital Collections page for a list of other fossil locations in the state.

South Carolina's coastline was completely underwater many years ago, with the area currently known as the Sandhills being what is believed to have been where the coastline during ancient times was found. The Sandhills form a band that separates the Midlands and Piedmont from the Coastal Plain, running through parts of Aiken, Lexington, Richland, Kershaw, Sumter, and Chesterfield Counties.

Shark teeth are the most abundant vertebrate fossil in the world and the most common body part of ancient sharks found while fossil hunting.

Fossil hunts often result in finding lots of shark teeth of different sizes.

Some fossil hunters end up discovering something impressive, such as this partial mammoth molar fossil that was found by someone diving in the Cooper River near Charleston, another excellent location for fossil hunting.

These types of fossil hunts in submerged areas require a hobby license, as per the South Carolina Underwater Antiquities Act, which was established to preserve and protect the state's vast underwater archaeological and paleontological legacy. South Carolina is currently the only state that specifically permits recreational collection of artifacts and fossils from submerged sites, but it does require a little bit of planning and preparation in advance. Visit the SC Institute for Archeology and Anthropology page on the University of South Carolina website for more details.

It would not be surprising to find an ancient sea turtle fossil in the coastal areas of the state!

These are certainly interesting. They are spine or disc fossils discovered on Morris Island!

Charleston Outdoor Adventures offers a fossil hunting tour with instruction and assistance in identifying fossils.

During this tour, you travel by boat through pristine marshland to uninhabited beach front and hike five miles (round-trip) to a remote location where you are guaranteed to find prehistoric fossils.

This is a megalodon tooth fossil that was found during one of these tours!

It's a great family activity that your kids are sure to love, especially if they find something as big as this guy did. What a treasure!

In 2021, a fossil hunt guide made local news when he discovered a massive Megalodon tooth at a construction site in Summerville, not really a spot you may expect to find fossils! Have you ever been fossil hunting? If so, where did you find something special? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!