 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2019) |
| Alcoota Fossil Beds | |
|---|---|
 Latz's pit, Alcoota fossil site, NT | |
| Location | Anmatjere, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Coordinates | 22°51′39.6″S 134°25′5.9″E / 22.861000°S 134.418306°E |
| Area | 48.88 hectares (120.8 acres) |
The Alcoota Fossil Beds are an important paleontological Lagerstätte in the Northern Territory of Australia located on Alcoota Station in the locality of Anmatjere[1] about 115 kilometres (71 mi) north-east of Alice Springs in the Central Australia region. It is notable for the occurrence of well-preserved, rare, Miocene vertebrate fossils, which provide evidence of the evolution of the Northern Territory’s fauna and climate. The Alcoota Fossil Beds are also significant as a research and teaching site for palaeontology students.
The Alcoota deposit is a series of intermittently interconnected lakes within a large basin. Evidence suggests that the concentration of fossils is due to a phenomenon called ‘waterhole-tethering’: During dry periods, animals concentrated in the immediate area of the continually shrinking, spring-fed lake, resulting in the death of many animals. The Alcoota and Bullock Creek fossil faunas provide evidence that aridification was in progress in northern Australia during the mid-Miocene geological time period.