Gastropod Fossil - Susan Hoi - Shell Cemetery

Susan Hoi is an archaic petrified shell cemetery located 17 kilometres from Krabi town centre on a 200 metre stretch along Ban Laem Pho. This shell cemetery is considered by recent scientific experts to date back 40-25 million years, although local folklore claims it’s even older at 75 million years. The cemetery came into being after the limestone deposits in the water covered and fossilised shellfish, snails and a variety of other sea creatures creating slabs of intricate geological relics.

This is great place to visit if you’re interested in geology or historical artefacts and is claimed to be one of only three such shell cemetery sites in the world. There are also mangrove forests worth exploring close by and a Chinese Temple at the cemetery which is open to the general public.

Susan Hoi is a fascinating pre-historic shell graveyard which continues to attract much attention as a geological wonder dating back millions of years. Despite modern technology claiming the site to be no more than 40 million years old, fossil experts claim to have discovered the remains of turtles and fish which date back up to 50 million years, whilst locals have their own age opinions. Although opinion is divided over just how ancient, Susan Hoi is certainly at least 20 million years old.

This natural beauty was once the home to a vast freshwater swamp which counted huge numbers of sea creatures including millions of snails. Over the ages the limestone rich water eventually transformed the swamp into layers of fossils which today stands at 40 centimetres thick. At 200 metres in length, the shell cemetery is surrounded by the rocky headlands of Ban Laem Pho where there are three formations in total with thousands of remains covering the rocks.