Rare fossils and petroglyphs are exposed due to drought

About the episode

Believed by some to be hidden in the sandstone banks of Lake Powell for 180 million years, it is the most important extinct vertebrate discovery in the United States this year: the skulls and teeth of a group of medium-sized mammalian herbivores called Tritylodon.

Another special discovery was made recently in the Amazon region. Due to the drought, the water levels in the rivers dropped and faces and animals appeared engraved in the riverbank. The drawings are likely between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. It has been seen once before, in 2010, when water levels dropped this low for a single day.

Archaeologists are keen to know exactly what the faces, which show different facial expressions, mean. They don’t have much time, because in November the water level will rise again due to rain and the faces will disappear under the water again.

The discovery of extinct rodent-like monsters that once walked alongside dinosaurs in the United States was also linked to drought. As a result, the water in the lake is becoming increasingly less. For example, paleontologists who were excavating in the area had already discovered animal traces in the sandstone. They thought they had only found some footprints, but it turned out to be much more than that.

Enough material for years of research even. They hope to gain more information about the evolution of mammals from skulls and teeth. Such as why some species survive in certain conditions and others do not. They also had to rush to Lake Powell, and they had 120 days to dig, and then the snow melted and the water levels rose again.

Read more about the discovery in the US here: ‘Extremely rare’ Jurassic fossils discovered in Lake Powell

Read more about the discovery in Brazil here: Drought in Brazil reveals ancient rock carvings of human faces