Discovering a dinosaur footprint on “Ammonite Ridge”
Turns out, a sandstone ridge near our house is highly fossiliferous.
In fact, we’ve dubbed it “Ammonite Ridge,” thanks to the abundant fossils of these ancient ancestors of the nautilus.
Mike and I enjoy exploring the ridge, looking for new discoveries. Recently, we scrambled to the top with some friends.
And look what we found!
Fossils of ammonites, which are extinct marine mollusc animals (most of the fossils we found are 6-8 inches in diameter, some are considerably larger)
Fragments of ancient clamshells
Petrified wood embedded in the sandstone (Melody has her hand on a branch)
An actual dinosaur footprint, which had already been discovered and has been identified as an Ankylosaurus track
Here is a closer look of the Ankylosaurus track. No, it doesn’t look like a footprint – this is one of those times when you scratch your head and say, “How do paleontologists know?” It’s pretty amazing that scientists can figure out this stuff. :>
All photos by Patrice Rhoades-Baum
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