Fossils of ancient crocodiles, fish, mollusks and plants were located in a layer of shale oil, and there could be more to be dug up near the Geebung railway station. The fossils were brought to the surface in the discharge from a piling rig that had been driving piles about 15 metres below the ground.
Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson, who was overseeing the construction works, said there could be more fossils in the area. Project engineers are working with the University of Queensland and the Queensland Museum on the discovery.
“They are, of course, also interested in retrieving any other fossils that may be located in the vicinity of this one,” Emerson said.
Queensland Museum Network CEO Professor Suzanne Miller said the find was significant for Brisbane and Queensland. “This site is particularly significant because very few sites of this age are available for study, as similar aged sites in the greater Brisbane area are often no longer accessible due to housing and urban development,” Prof Miller said.
“The construction works have fortuitously provided access to a new locality that was not previously known to palaeontologists.”
Emerson said the discovery would not hinder progress on the level crossing project.
Queensland has some of Australia?s richest fossil deposits, including a famous dinosaur dig at the Lark Quarry Conservation Park in Winton in the state?s central west, where three new dinosaur species were discovered in 2009.
Sources: SBS World News, Agence France Presse, Yahoo 7