Scientists from the University of Queensland have discovered some Cretaceous-era fossils that are at least 71 million years old, and may provide clues to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The fossils were found on James Ross Island, and included a mix of dinosaur and marine life fossils.
In a press release, Dr. Steve Salisbury of the University of Queensland said that the remains included a lot of marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs and mosasaurs, which Salisbury said is a type of lizard made famous by the film Jurassic World. “The rocks that we were focusing on come from the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, so most of them are between 71 million and 67 millions years old.”
The expedition involved 12 scientists and took place in February and March. The fossils were all shallow marine rocks, so the majority of what they found lived in the oceans. They also found dinosaur remains and did geological mapping of the area, recording the thickness of rocks and information on the environment which help create a picture of what the area was like at the time the fossilized animals existed.
It may take a couple years before results of further studies are complete, as many of the larger bones need extensive preparation before the team can do much research on them. The fossils are being kept in Chile at this time, but will eventually be sent to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where they will be studied further.
Salisbury said that the really important part of the expedition was the fact that they were there, as travel to the Antarctic Peninsula is difficult. Helicopters and inflatable boats were used to cross the rough seas of the Drake Passage. The team camped out for nearly five weeks on Vega Island, and hiked through mountainous terrain to reach the main field site, located on Sandwich Bluff.
Salisbury says he has tried to reach Antarctica before to do this type of research, but was prevented from making land by sea ice. “It’s a very hard place to work, but an even harder place to get to,” he said, noting that they would be snowed in at times, stuck in the communal tent while they waited out the weather.
Image credit: Dr. Steve Salisbury/The University of Queensland