Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways

Amblydactylus, Wintonopus, and Skartopus dinosaur tracks at Lark Quarry.
Close-up digital image of Dinosaur Tracks at Lark Quarry.
Close-up digital image of Dinosaur Tracks at Lark Quarry.
Wide-angle photo showing some of the overburden which has been cleared and in the foreground are the dinosaur tracks.
Close-up of the overburden that covered the dinosaur tracks.
External view of Conservation Building at Lark Quarry.

Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park (also known just as Lark Quarry or Dinosaur Stampede) in Queensland, Australia is considered to be the site of the world's only known record of a dinosaur stampede,[1] with fossilised footprints are interpreted as a predator stalking and causing a stampede of around 150 two-legged dinosaurs. This interpretation has been challenged in recent years, with evidence suggesting it may have been a natural river crossing.[2][3]

The fossils date to either the Albian or Turonian periods between 104 and 92 million years ago, and are part of the Winton Formation sandstone. In 2015, Winton Shire Council invited the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History to take over the operation of public guided tours at Dinosaur Stampede National Monument. This joint initiative, implemented in April 2016, provides visitors with a broader understanding of unique Australian dinosaurs and the world they inhabited. In 2018, Dinosaur Stampede National Monument received 14,180 visitors.[citation needed]

The Lark Quarry site is about 110 km (68 mi) south-west of the western Queensland town of Winton.[4]

  1. ^ "Lark Quarry Conservation Park". National parks, marine parks, and forests. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  2. ^ Romilio, Anthony; Tucker, Ryan T.; Salisbury, Steven W. (1 January 2013). "Reevaluation of the Lark Quarry dinosaur Tracksite (late Albian–Cenomanian Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia): no longer a stampede?". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (1): 102–120. Bibcode:2013JVPal..33..102R. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694591. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 131090557.
  3. ^ Romilio, Anthony; Salisbury, Steven W. (14 July 2014). "No dinosaur stampede at Lark Quarry – so what really happened?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Winton to Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 August 2022.