Drought uncovers dinosaur tracks in US park (Dinosaur Valley State Park, near Dallas)

Phys.org ^ | 8/23/2022

[LibWhacker]

A handout image obtained on August 23, 2022 courtesy of the Dinosaur Valley State Park shows dinosaur tracks from around 113 million years ago.

A drought in Texas dried up a river flowing through Dinosaur Valley State Park, exposing tracks from giant reptiles that lived some 113 million years ago, an official said Tuesday.

Photos posted on Facebook show three-toed footprints leading down a dry tree-lined riverbed in the southern US state. It is "one of the longest dinosaur trackways in the world," a caption accompanying the images says.

Stephanie Salinas Garcia of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said dry weather made the tracks visible.

"Due to the excessive drought conditions this past summer, the river dried up completely in most locations, allowing for more tracks to be uncovered here in the park," she said.

"Under normal river conditions, these newer tracks are under water and are commonly filled in with sediment, making them buried and not as visible," Garcia said.

Most of the recently revealed tracks were made by Acrocanthosaurus, which weighed nearly seven tons (6,350 kilograms) as an adult and stood 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall.

Another dinosaur, Sauroposeidon, also left tracks in the park. It measured 60 feet tall and weighed 44 tons in adulthood.

A handout image obtained on August 23, 2022 courtesy of the Dinosaur Valley State Park shows dinosaur tracks from around 113 million years ago.

The state park—located in an inland area southwest of the city of Dallas—was once on the edge of an ancient ocean, and dinosaurs left footprints in the mud, its website says.

While drought revealed the tracks, rain is in the forecast, meaning they will likely be covered once more.

"While they will soon be buried again by the rain and the river, Dinosaur Valley State Park will continue to protect these 113 million-year-old tracks not only for present, but future generations," Garcia said.

[LibWhacker]

But, yes, an arbitrary date assignment not based upon empirical science.

Also trying to be fair... I don't think it's necessarily all that arbitrary. As I understand, there are many clues that help date tracks: Sediment eroded from an old nearby volcano can date footprints, as can fine layers of fossilized seeds buried near the prints, etc.

[NautiNurse]

Pretty sure that tiny reptilian brains aren’t known for their intellect.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I don’t doubt they are genuine tracks, but 113 million years old?

[laplata]

Thanks for clarifying that.

I tend to agree with you.

[minnesota_bound]

I have walked thru mud leaving my footprints. I wonder what future archaeologists will make of my tennis shoe imprints?

[jagusafr]

Or very eroded. Interesting…

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[chuckles]

I’m going to guess that this is at Glenn Rose Texas near Waco. I’ve been there and seen them in person. The thing they failed to mention was that human footprints are right beside the dino prints. They are a woman’s size 7. They are intermixed in with the dino prints so they appear to look as if the person was following the dino, or the dino was following the person. It is all embedded in solid rock. Some hate it so much they have used hammers and chisels to deface some of the human prints. If you ever get close to Waco, it’s worth it to go there and look for yourself. There is a museum there to show how the earth was from Creation, before the Flood.