 EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes
and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and
archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


 Fossilized Footprints in Abiego, Spain

   June 18, 2021

    Best of Landschaft - 348 of 672

   Photographer:  Martin Ripsam

   Summary Authors:  Martin Ripsam &  Cadan Cummings
   Nearby the town of  Abiego in the northeast of Spain, there exists a
   100-foot (30 meter) long rock feature covered with around 1100
    ichnites (fossilized footprints).  These ancient tracks preserved
   in the  limestone rock date back to the  Oligocene Epoch
   approximately 33 million years ago, a period when the landscape was
   comprised largely of  grasslands. The ichnites present at this site
   were produced by mammal species in the genera  Anoplotherium, a
   common ancestor of cows, camels, giraffes, and pigs, and
    Entelodont, a family of mammals very similar to today's wild boars.
   This paleontological record has been maintained because of  tectonic
   activity in the region around the  Pyrenees shifting the landscape
   to become a vertical rock feature, which prevented many forms of
    weathering. To further protect the historic site, a stone wall was
   constructed at the top of the slope to prevent erosion and damage from
   falling rock debris.
     * Abiego, Spain Coordinates:  42.12431, -0.06553

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