The mud at the bottom of the Thames is a whole other story. Some of that gooey, stinky sediment is over 100 million years old. That’s Cretaceous period mud. Mud that once squished under the feet of dinosaurs.
So next time you see a jogger slip on the Thames Path and land in a pile of wet brown goo, you can yell, “Careful! That’s triceratops poop you’re sitting in!” (It’s not actually poop, but it’s more fun to think it is.)
Surprising Fact: The Thames is Still Changing
Here’s the kicker: the river isn’t finished aging. It’s still shifting its course, still eroding banks, still stealing land from farmers. The Thames is alive. It’s not a museum piece. It’s a grumpy old creature that occasionally floods your basement to remind you who’s boss.
River Thames 1800s
And because of plate tectonics, the entire south of England is slowly tilting. The Thames is actually tilting eastward, like it’s trying to crawl into the sea for a permanent nap. In about 50 million years, London will be underwater again. Or part of France. Who knows.
