Low water levels reveal dinosaur tracks dating back 110 million years
As Texas baked in record-breaking heat this summer and a growing drought pushed water levels down, a group of volunteers uncovered something sort of magnificent: new giant dinosaur tracks that are believed to be from around 110 million years ago.
Paul Baker, the retail manager at Dinosaur Valley State Park, told CNN he has “never seen this many dinosaur tracks” before.
“It’s exciting to see something that nobody else has seen; it’s almost like a treasure hunt, in a way,” said Baker, who helps clean up and map dinosaur tracks at the park. “I thought I’d seen every dinosaur track there is, but within the last two years with the droughts we’ve had and the hard work by our volunteers, it’s just an amazing sight.”
Dinosaur Valley State Park, around an hour and a half south of Dallas, is 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.
As water levels got lower this summer, more ancient history was revealed. A brutal dry spell has spread across parts of Texas since June, with extreme drought now covering more than a third of the state, the US Drought Monitor reported Thursday.
“This was the hottest June I’ve ever experienced, and I’m 45 years old now,” Baker said. “I don’t remember the riverbed being destroyed. It’s just bone dry.”
As Texas baked in record-breaking heat this summer and a growing drought pushed water levels down, a group of volunteers uncovered something sort of magnificent: new giant dinosaur tracks that are believed to be from around 110 million years ago. Paul Baker, the retail manager at Dinosaur Valley State Park, told CNN he has “never seen this…