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Toothhound
Maryland

Plum Point / Scientists' Cliffs (Calvert County, MD)

Restricted access📚 Compiled from public sources

The Calvert Cliffs reach between Plum Point and Scientists' Cliffs HOA — same Calvert/Choptank/St. Marys Miocene exposures as Calvert Cliffs State Park, but accessed from the north via Brownie's, Matoaka, and the (private) Scientists' Cliffs association beach. Listed here as the upper-cliff alternative for travelers staying on the Plum Point end of the bay.

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Event timeline

Calvert Cliffs Spring Freeze-Thaw Erosion Window

ended

Late winter freeze-thaw cycles destabilize the Chesapeake Group cliffs. March–early May historically produces the most fresh fall material on the beaches at Brownie's, Matoaka, and Westmoreland.

2026-03-012026-05-15
- Freeze-thaw cycles loosen cliff matrix
- First low tide after a heavy rain or nor'easter is prime
+10 pts
Geology
FormationsCalvert Formation, Choptank Formation
EpochsMiocene
Age~17-12 million years
Star speciesOtodus megalodon, Hemipristis serra, Carcharodon hastalis
Technique

Best accessed via Brownie's Beach (already in atlas) and Matoaka Beach Cottages (already in atlas). Scientists' Cliffs itself is a private HOA — guests of residents only. Walk the wrack line at low tide on the public sections.

Access

Public access is at Brownie's and Matoaka. Scientists' Cliffs is private community access. Do NOT trespass.

Legality & ethics

Surface collection at the public beaches is fine. Scientists' Cliffs HOA enforces private-property rules strictly.

Hazards
  • Falling cliff debris
  • Rising tide trapping you against the bluff
  • Private-property boundaries are enforced
Insider tips
  • If you're staying in Plum Point, just use Brownie's — same teeth, no trespass risk
  • Scientists' Cliffs is included as a navigational reference only — not as a recommended stop
References & further reading

Shark teeth findable here

Trophy = headline find · Rare = real score · Uncommon = some trips · Common = most trips.

Also findable here

The beachcomber's bonus round — what else the geology gives up.

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Tides © NOAA CO-OPS · Wind/wave © Open-Meteo · Lunar via SunCalc · This page is informational only.