NORTHSEA LAB
The 'Northsea Lab' is a task force within the Palaeontologica Belgica organisation, focused on the valorisation, monitoring and educational value of paleontological heritage in the Belgian part of the North sea (both off and on-shore). This lab is represented within the executive board and serves several specific goals focused on the paleontological potential that the Belgian part of the North Sea has to offer. On this page you will find an overview of both past and present lab activities which will link to specific pages.
9 November 2024
A call for for fossil-rich sand nourishment
Along the Belgian coastline
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Beach replenishment or beach nourishment is carried out as a standard practice for coastal protection against natural erosion. When sand extracted from Sierra Ventana (Zone 3A - shoal) is used, the beach turns into a paradise for shell and fossil collectors. This sand is packed with shells and fossils that can date back as far as 55 million years ago (Eocene). Over the past few years, beaches nourished with these sediments have attracted substantial crowds of collectors, not only from Belgium but also from the Netherlands and Germany. Replenishing our coastline with this sediment not only protects the coast against seasonal erosion, but will give the coastline an added value for tourists, collectors and (citizen) scientists. With this petition, we'd like to ask the city councils to choose sand from the cheaper Sierra Ventana shoal sediments for future replenishments.
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25 January 2025
Signed petition handed over to minister
+1200 signatures for the use of fossil rich sediments
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Flemish minister Annick De Ridder, alderman for the harbors and ports, urban development, spatial planning and patrimony of the city of Antwerp and parliamentary representative for the Flemish government, received the signed petition by Northsea Lab representatives. The minister, who is an avid fossil hunter herself, is launching the proposal to use fossil-rich sediment to fill up the volumes of washed away sand after storms on the Belgian coastline. She is thereby responding to the call from the Palaentologica Belgica Northsea lab to use fossil rich-sediment for future nurishments. The petition was handed over ceremonially and followed by a small fossil hunting trip on the beach.
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National news report (VRT) - in Dutch
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