Day 340 | 40 km north of Lark Quarry: Dinosaurs!
61 km | zzOz total: 9018 km
Lark Quarry.
Another stampede.
This time it was dinosaurs.
In some way it’s quite banal, something happened and was recorded in the mud, maybe some sunny Wednesday in May.
Then again it’s pretty mind blowing. It happened 95 million years ago in this very spot and it’s clear to see once the footprints are explained. There are some 3000 odd footprints of chicken sized dinosaurs heading one direction and some mighty large 3 toed hoof prints caused by a relative of T Rex heading the other way, then skidding as it veered right.
How they were found is a story in itself, opal miners came across “bird” footprints in the rock in 1962, they were partly excavated in 1975 and covered by an elaborate shed in 1985. It’s now climate and humidity controlled to preserve them.
There are plenty of examples of dinosaur footprints around the world, these are the only ones known to be running and were therefore used as a basis for the dinosaur choreography in the film Jurassic Park, length of stride and agility, etc. They continue in the same strata 500 m away so it’s a huge site potentially.
I was the youngest in the lunchtime tour group by about 20 years, completely immersed by dinosaurs.