Huge ‘dinosaur highway’ excavated in English quarry

Jan. 2 () –

A huge expanse of soil full of hundreds of different dinosaur footprints has been discovered by surprise under the floor of a quarry in the English county of Oxfordshire.

The footprints, which date back to the Middle Jurassic period (about 166 million years ago), are part of a huge “dinosaur highway” and They include footprints of the ferocious 30-foot predator Megalosaurus and herbivorous dinosaurs up to twice that size.

The excavation, carried out in Dewars Farm Quarrydiscovered five extensive footprints and evidence of more in the surrounding area. The longest continuous track measured more than 150 meters in length. Four of the footprints were made by gigantic, long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs called sauropods, most likely Cetiosaurus, a cousin of the well-known Diplodocus up to 18 meters long. The fifth footprint was made by the carnivorous theropod dinosaur, Megalosaurus, which had distinctive, large, three-toed legs and claws. One area of ​​the site shows the tracks of carnivores and herbivores crossing, which raises questions about whether and how they were interacting.

Megalosaurus was the world’s first dinosaur to be named and scientifically described in 1824, and marked the beginning of the last 200 years of dinosaur science.

Dr Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate palaeontologist at OUMNH (Oxford University Museum of Natural History), explained in a statement: “Megalosaurus has been known and studied by scientists longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, and yet these recent discoveries show that there is still new evidence of these animals waiting to be found.

BURIED UNDER THE MUD

The footprints were buried under mud, but came to light when quarry worker Gary Johnson He felt “unusual bumps” while removing clay with his vehicle to expose the quarry floor. At that point the experts were called in.

Working closely with quarry director Mark Stanway and his staff, a team of more than 100, the universities of Oxford and Birmingham co-led a team of more than 100 people on a week-long excavation in June 2024. Together, they painstakingly discovered around 200 footprints and built detailed 3D models of the site using aerial drone photography, documenting the footprints in unprecedented detail for future research.

Professor Kirsty Edgar, Professor of Micropaleontology at the University of Birmingham, said: “These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the life of dinosaurs. revealing details about their movements, interactions and the tropical environment they inhabited.”

The new tracks connect with discoveries made in the area in 1997, where previous limestone quarries revealed more than 40 sets of tracks, and some tracks reached up to 180 m in length. At the time, the site provided important new information about the types of dinosaurs present in the United Kingdom during the Middle Jurassic Period. The site was recognized as one of the most scientifically important dinosaur footprint sites in the world and was subsequently designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. However, the original site is largely no longer accessible and, since the findings predicted the use of digital cameras and drones, There is limited photographic evidence.

The new tracks increase the importance of the area and although the discoveries are only thirty years apart, modern techniques and technology allow the tracks to be recorded much more completely than ever before.

Dr Duncan Murdock, terrestrial scientist at OUMNH, said: “The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud deformed as the dinosaur’s legs moved in and out. Along with other fossils such as burrows, shells and plants, we can bring to life the muddy lagoon environment that the dinosaurs walked through.”