Atherfield

Atherfield is a rural location in the south west of the Isle of Wight, UK.

Atherfield Bay is one of the best sources of Cretaceous fossils, and is one of the places that gives the Wight the nickname "Dinosaur Isle" (see Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight).

The unique land formation on this coast means fossils up to 30 million years old are uncovered.

The village serves as the namesake for a species of dinosaur, Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, of which the species' holotype fossil was found in Atherfield.

The bay also marks the landward edge of the Atherfield Ledge, an underwater outcrop that has claimed many ships including the SS Eider and more.