Future of country’s biggest ever dinosaur footprint site uncertain

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The dinosaur footprints dating back 166 million years buried under mud were found last year at Dewars Farm Quarry near Bicester by teams from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham.

The teams uncovered five extensive trackways, forming part of a ‘dinosaur highway’ – with evidence of more in the surrounding area.

The tracks are believed to be connected to a similar discovery made at at nearby Ardley Quarry in 1997, in which around 40 sets of footprints were uncovered.

Some of the trackways reached 180 metres in length – but they were covered in landfill.

The site of the dinosaur footprintsThe site of the dinosaur footprints (Image: Emma Nicholls/University of Birmingham/PA Wire) READ MORE: Body found off A34 near Oxford Peartree Interchange

Following the recent discovery, researchers from the University of Oxford said that Dewars Farm is still a working quarry with no public access, and “will remain so in the medium term”.

They added: “However, we are actively working with Smiths Bletchington and Natural England on options for preserving the site for the future.”

Dr Susanna Maidment, a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum, said it would be “fantastic” if this trackway could be preserved. 

The dinosaur footprints discoveredThe unearthed dinosaur footprints (Image: Emma Nicholls/University of Birmingham/PA Wire) Dr Maidment said: “It will be interesting to see how the tracks are preserved in the future.

“The previously discovered trackway found in a quarry nearby is now covered in landfill.

“It would be fantastic if this trackway could be preserved and opened to the public for all to see.”

Experts say the new discoveries will provide valuable insights into how the dinosaurs walked, speeds they reached, how big they were, and if and how they interacted with each other.

Digital records of the footprints were captured in order to create computer models, which will enable researchers across the world to study them further

The teams captured 20,000 photographs and built detailed 3D models of the site using aerial drone photography.

READ MORE: Striking at Bicester school begins over workload concerns

The unearthed dinosaur footprintsThe unearthed dinosaur footprints (Image: University of Birmingham/PA Wire) Professor Richard Butler, professor of palaeobiology at the University of Birmingham, said: “There is much more that we can learn from this site, which is an important part of our national Earth heritage.”

Experts were called into the quarry when worker Gary Johnson felt “unusual bumps” as he was stripping clay back with a digger to expose the quarry floor.

“Our 3D models will allow researchers to continue to study and make accessible this fascinating piece of our past for generations to come.”

Dr Duncan Murdock, earth scientist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH), said: “The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud was deformed as the dinosaurs’ feet squelched in and out.

“Along with other fossils like burrows, shells and plants we can bring to life the muddy lagoon environment the dinosaurs walked through.”

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