Disaster Unveils 110 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Footprints in Flooded Travis County, Texas

In early July, a catastrophic flood ravaged the Texas Hill Country, resulting in at least 135 fatalities. Amidst the debris clearance efforts, a significant prehistoric discovery emerged in Travis County on Monday. According to experts, a volunteer unearthed 15 large, three-clawed dinosaur footprints distributed in a crisscross pattern along the Sandy Creek area.

Matthew Brown, a paleontologist from the Jackson School Museum of Earth History at the University of Texas at Austin, confirmed these tracks were left by carnivorous dinosaurs resembling Acrocanthosaurus, approximately 35 feet in length and bipedal. The footprints are estimated to be around 110-115 million years old, with each print measuring about 18-20 inches in length.

Brown explained that waterways like the Sandy Creek cut through the Glen Rose Formation limestone, which is the rock layer bearing these tracks and approximately 110 million years old. This allows scientists to determine the age of the dinosaur footprints, as they are preserved within rock layers of corresponding age.

Upon visiting the site on Tuesday, Brown offered recommendations to state and county officials regarding ongoing disaster response in the vicinity. He has also learned about other recently discovered sites that may contain dinosaur tracks. To protect these valuable fossils, discussions have been held with environmental monitoring companies to identify sensitive locations and prevent heavy equipment from damaging the dinosaur footprints.

Carl Stover, a local resident, shared pictures of the dinosaur tracks embedded in rocky white terrain. The area, marked by swollen rivers and streams in Central Texas, is particularly susceptible to flash flooding due to its geography. While most damage and deaths from July’s flood were concentrated in Kerr County, ten deaths occurred in Travis County – which encompasses the city of Austin and its suburbs – with parts of the region also being inundated by the catastrophic storm.

Travis County Judge Andy Brown noted that Sandy Creek, usually dry, rose to 20 feet during the flood. He explained that the flood washed away trees, cars, houses, and any objects in its path, including revealing the dinosaur footprints.

Stover shared video footage with CNN, showcasing the dinosaur tracks by the creek bed. He pointed out that the entire area was flooded during the Fourth of July flood and described nearby debris-filled piles amid clusters of trees.

Judge Brown emphasized that despite Travis County being in the midst of disaster recovery, the discovery of dinosaur footprints is an exciting find. He added that Texas hosts numerous dinosaur tracks in various areas, with the fascination of imagining what once roamed this region providing an engaging exercise for dinosaur enthusiasts.

Travis County lies approximately 200 miles south of Dinosaur Valley State Park, a popular tourist destination known for its abundance of dinosaur tracks left by sauropods and theropods around 113 million years ago. The now-dry Paluxy River attracts tourists who typically fish, swim, and kayak in the area.

Matthew Brown and his team plan to revisit Travis County soon to thoroughly document the dinosaur footprints using maps and 3D imaging. They aim to determine the number of creatures represented by the tracks and whether they were left by a group or a single dinosaur roaming Texas Hill Country.