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Time of India
a day ago
- Science
- Time of India
Texas floods uncover 115-million-year-old dinosaur footprints
Source: X Floodwaters in the Texas Hill Country have uncovered a remarkable prehistoric discovery, rare dinosaur prints buried for more than a century beneath layers of soil and rock. According to CNN, a devastating flood in early July exposed 15 three-clawed footprints along a newly revealed creek bed in the Big Sandy Creek area of Travis County. A volunteer clearing debris reportedly spotted the tracks, which were later confirmed by experts to have been made by a large, meat-eating dinosaur. At the landowner's request, the exact location of the find, on private property, is being kept confidential. Matthew Brown, a paleontologist at the University of Texas at Austin, said the tracks likely belonged to an Acrocanthosaurus, a bipedal carnivore that measured about 35 feet in length. The footprints, which range from 18 to 20 inches long, are estimated to be between 110 and 115 million years old. They were preserved in limestone from the Glen Rose Formation, a rock layer frequently associated with Cretaceous-period fossils. Disaster and discovery in 'flash flood alley' Source: X The Sandy Creek area, part of a region known as 'Flash Flood Alley' for its vulnerability to sudden, intense flooding, was among the hardest-hit in the recent disaster. In early July, torrential rains swelled the usually dry creek to 20 feet, sweeping away homes, property, and lives. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Only Classless Women Wear these Over a Certain Age Learn More Undo Officials reported over 135 deaths in the Texas Hill Country, including at least 36 children at nearby Camp Mystic in Kerr County. Travis County recorded 10 deaths from the flooding. Despite the scale of the tragedy, the dinosaur tracks have sparked excitement among paleontologists and locals alike. County and state officials, under the guidance of scientists, are working to safeguard the site from damage by cleanup crews and heavy machinery. Preserving the past with 3D imaging Representative Image Brown and his team plan to return to the site soon to conduct detailed mapping and 3D imaging of the footprints. The volunteer who found them noted that the tracks formed a crisscross pattern, something researchers hope will help determine whether they were made by a single dinosaur or a group moving through the area. 'Dinosaur tracks are common in central Texas,' Brown said, adding that many people are surprised to learn they might find them 'in their own backyards.' Nearby finds have included prints from the Paluxysaurus, a large herbivorous sauropod and Texas' official state dinosaur. Travis County lies just under 200 miles south of Dinosaur Valley State Park, famous for its abundance of sauropod and theropod tracks left around 113 million years ago. The park attracts tourists year-round who, in normal conditions, explore the now-dry Paluxy River for swimming, fishing, and kayaking, and to catch a glimpse of the ancient footprints that connect Texas to its deep prehistoric past.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Science
- Straits Times
Texas flood turns creek into real-life Jurassic Park, with 15 dinosaur footprints discovered
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The footprints, each 45cm to 50cm long, are believed to be between 110 and 115 million years old. Footprints believed to belong to a carnivorous dinosaur have been discovered along a creek bed by one of the volunteers cleaning up the damage wrought by the deadly floods that ravaged central Texas in early July. The 15 footprints are each 45cm to 50cm long and estimated to be between 110 and 115 million years old. They were likely left by a meat-eating dinosaur similar to an Acrocanthosaurus , a 1 0m-long bipedal carnivore, experts say. A volunteer clearing debris stumbled across the tracks which were dispersed in a criss-cross pattern. University of Texas paleontologists later confirmed the find, CNN reported on Aug 10. The footprints were found in Travis County , in state capital Austin , after Big Sandy Creek, a stream in Texas, swelled to about 6m during early July's storm. The area around the creek is usually dry but swelled up during the disaster, washing away trees and houses, along with tonnes of soil. Palaeontologist Matthew Brown , from the J ackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas , said his team plans to return soon to map and 3D-scan the prints, in hopes of learning whether they were left by a group or a solitary dinosaur roaming what is now 'Flash Flood Alley'. The area is about 320km from Dinosaur Valley State Park, a well-known tourist draw where tracks from the same era line the Paluxy Rive r. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43 billion Business Singtel, StarHub shares fall after announcement of Keppel's M1 sale Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore 79 arrested, over 3kg of heroin seized in 5-day drug blitz Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Asia Tourist spots in South Korea face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says Mr Brown said other dinosaur prints that were found nearby previously might have come from P aluxysaurus , a plant-eating giant and Texas' official state dinosaur. These newly discovered prints were found on private land and will remain off-limits to the public at the landowner's request. Mr Brown said waterways such as Sandy Creek cut through the Glen Rose Formation limestone, a rock layer about 110 million years old that contains the tracks. 'That's how we know how old the dinosaur tracks are, it's because they're preserved in rock layers that are that old,' he said. 'Often people don't realise that it is possible to find them in their own backyards,' Mr Brown told ABC News. Local officials are now working with scientists to protect the find from damage during ongoing clean-up. Mr Brown said he has advised crews to avoid moving heavy machinery over the site. The floods that uncovered the tracks were among the deadliest in Texas history, killing at least 135 people across the Hill Country region.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
The Texas floods washed away debris and dirt. They also uncovered 100-million-year-old dinosaur tracks
The devastating flooding that swept through Texas Hill Country in early July, killing at least 135 people, unearthed a prehistoric discovery in Travis County on Monday, experts say. A volunteer helping residents clear debris discovered 15 large, three-clawed dinosaur footprints scattered in a crisscross pattern along the Sandy Creek area. 'The tracks that are unambiguously dinosaurs were left by meat-eating dinosaurs similar to Acrocanthosaurus, a roughly 35-foot-long bipedal carnivore,' said Matthew Brown, a paleontologist with the Jackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas at Austin. The tracks are approximately 110 to 115 million years old and each footprint is roughly 18 to 20 inches long, according to Brown. Waterways like the Sandy Creek 'cut through the Glen Rose Formation limestone, which is the rock layer that bears the tracks and is about 110ish million years old,' Brown said. 'And so, that's how we know how old the dinosaur tracks are, it's because they're preserved in rock layers that are that old.' Brown visited the site of the dinosaur tracks Tuesday to provide recommendations to state and county officials about the active disaster response nearby and has since learned about other recently uncovered sites that may also have dinosaur tracks. 'We've been talking with the environmental monitoring company too about sensitive locations that they've gotten from the state and what to watch out for … basically, to make sure that they're not rolling heavy equipment across the trackways,' he said, to prevent damage to the dinosaur tracks. 'That's the sort of the information that we've been providing, just trying to identify positively tracks and then sort of set boundaries around them for the cleanup crews to give them some guidance while they're working in the area.' Pictures from Texas resident Carl Stover show the tracks are somewhat bigger than his sneakered foot and embedded firmly in the rocky white terrain. That terrain, combined with swollen rivers and streams in Central Texas, makes the area in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley' prone to flooding. While most of the damage and deaths brought by the July floods was concentrated in Kerr County, there were 10 deaths in Travis County – which includes the city of Austin and its suburbs – and parts of the area were also inundated by the catastrophic storm. Travis County Judge Andy Brown said Sandy Creek is typically very dry but rose to 20 feet during the flooding last month. 'That washed away trees. It washed away cars, houses, anything in its path,' Brown said. 'So, in this part with the dinosaur tracks … it tore down the trees around them and it also washed away the dirt and gravel that was over the other set of them.' Stover, who shared video with CNN, panned his camera over the dinosaur tracks by the creek bed. 'This whole area was flooded on the July Fourth flood. I don't know if you can tell, but there used to be a house right here that got washed away,' he said, his camera lens focused on piles of debris amid clumps of trees. 'Another one right down from it. And my other neighbor here, this house is gone also.' Brown, the county judge, said even as Travis County is in the middle of disaster recovery, the dinosaur tracks are 'exciting to see.' 'We have a lot of dinosaur footprints around Texas in different areas,' he added. 'Just picturing what used to roam in this area is fascinating exercise.' Travis County is a little under 200 miles south of Dinosaur Valley State Park, home to a large number of dinosaur tracks imprinted by sauropods and theropods that lived in the area roughly 113 million years ago. It is a hotspot for dinosaur enthusiasts and tourists who typically flock the now-dry Paluxy River to fish, swim and kayak. Matthew Brown, the paleontologist, said he and his team expect to return to Travis County soon to thoroughly document the tracks with maps and 3D imaging. Brown said he hopes to learn more about how many creatures are represented by the tracks – and whether they were left by a group or by a single dinosaur roaming Texas Hill Country. Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
2 days ago
- Science
- CNN
The Texas floods washed away debris and dirt. They also uncovered 100-million-year-old dinosaur tracks
The devastating flooding that swept through Texas Hill Country in early July, killing at least 135 people, unearthed a prehistoric discovery in Travis County on Monday, experts say. A volunteer helping residents clear debris discovered 15 large, three-clawed dinosaur footprints scattered in a crisscross pattern along the Sandy Creek area. 'The tracks that are unambiguously dinosaurs were left by meat-eating dinosaurs similar to Acrocanthosaurus, a roughly 35-foot-long bipedal carnivore,' said Matthew Brown, a paleontologist with the Jackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas at Austin. The tracks are approximately 110 to 115 million years old and each footprint is roughly 18 to 20 inches long, according to Brown. Waterways like the Sandy Creek 'cut through the Glen Rose Formation limestone, which is the rock layer that bears the tracks and is about 110ish million years old,' Brown said. 'And so, that's how we know how old the dinosaur tracks are, it's because they're preserved in rock layers that are that old.' Brown visited the site of the dinosaur tracks Tuesday to provide recommendations to state and county officials about the active disaster response nearby and has since learned about other recently uncovered sites that may also have dinosaur tracks. 'We've been talking with the environmental monitoring company too about sensitive locations that they've gotten from the state and what to watch out for … basically, to make sure that they're not rolling heavy equipment across the trackways,' he said, to prevent damage to the dinosaur tracks. 'That's the sort of the information that we've been providing, just trying to identify positively tracks and then sort of set boundaries around them for the cleanup crews to give them some guidance while they're working in the area.' Pictures from Texas resident Carl Stover show the tracks are somewhat bigger than his sneakered foot and embedded firmly in the rocky white terrain. That terrain, combined with swollen rivers and streams in Central Texas, makes the area in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley' prone to flooding. While most of the damage and deaths brought by the July floods was concentrated in Kerr County, there were 10 deaths in Travis County – which includes the city of Austin and its suburbs – and parts of the area were also inundated by the catastrophic storm. Travis County Judge Andy Brown said Sandy Creek is typically very dry but rose to 20 feet during the flooding last month. 'That washed away trees. It washed away cars, houses, anything in its path,' Brown said. 'So, in this part with the dinosaur tracks … it tore down the trees around them and it also washed away the dirt and gravel that was over the other set of them.' Stover, who shared video with CNN, panned his camera over the dinosaur tracks by the creek bed. 'This whole area was flooded on the July Fourth flood. I don't know if you can tell, but there used to be a house right here that got washed away,' he said, his camera lens focused on piles of debris amid clumps of trees. 'Another one right down from it. And my other neighbor here, this house is gone also.' Brown, the county judge, said even as Travis County is in the middle of disaster recovery, the dinosaur tracks are 'exciting to see.' 'We have a lot of dinosaur footprints around Texas in different areas,' he added. 'Just picturing what used to roam in this area is fascinating exercise.' Travis County is a little under 200 miles south of Dinosaur Valley State Park, home to a large number of dinosaur tracks imprinted by sauropods and theropods that lived in the area roughly 113 million years ago. It is a hotspot for dinosaur enthusiasts and tourists who typically flock the now-dry Paluxy River to fish, swim and kayak. Matthew Brown, the paleontologist, said he and his team expect to return to Travis County soon to thoroughly document the tracks with maps and 3D imaging. Brown said he hopes to learn more about how many creatures are represented by the tracks – and whether they were left by a group or by a single dinosaur roaming Texas Hill Country.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaur footprints from 115 million years ago found after Texas flood
Ancient dinosaur footprints dating back 115 million years were discovered in Northwest Travis County, Texas, after recent flooding swept away layers of sediment and brush that had long hidden them, according to officials. The discovery was made in the Big Sandy Creek area over the weekend by a group of volunteers, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, who serves as the county's chief executive, told ABC News. The tracks were found on private property, with the exact location being kept secret at the owner's request. University of Texas paleontologists confirmed at least 15 individual footprints, Matthew Brown, a paleontologist at UT Austin, told ABC News. Each footprint measured approximately 18-20 inches long and dated back 110-115 million years, according to Brown. The tracks were left by meat-eating dinosaurs similar to an Acrocanthosaurus, a roughly 35-foot-long bipedal carnivore, Brown said. Additional prints found nearby might have represented a large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur called Paluxysaurus, which is the official state dinosaur of Texas. MORE: Massive shark caught off the Connecticut coast may break state record Brown and fellow UT Austin paleontologist Kenneth Bader on Tuesday afternoon visited the spot where the tracks were discovered to assess them and to advise officials on protecting them during ongoing flood cleanup efforts. "We expect to return to the site in the near future to more thoroughly document the tracks with maps and 3D imaging," Brown said. He said his team hoped to determine whether multiple dinosaurs moved together as a group or if individuals crossed the area independently. Dinosaur tracks aren't unusual in central Texas, Brown said. "Often people don't realize that it is possible to find them in their own backyards," he said. Last month, deadly floods ravaged parts of central Texas, claiming more than 130 lives. The disaster was severe in Kerr County, where at least 36 children lost their lives at nearby Camp Mystic. According to Brown, the discovery would not impact ongoing cleanup efforts in the area. Local officials encourage anyone who finds additional tracks to report them to the University of Texas paleontology department
