New age Aussie fossil in the British Natural History museum. When John Mackay first photographed the fossil Paracyclotosauraus davidi (a large Salamander-like labryinthodont) in 1987, it was labelled 200 million years old. When John photographed the same fossil in 1999, it was labelled 235 million years old. My how time flies!
According to The Natural History of Sydney, 1972 edition, published by the Australian Museum in Sydney, the fossil was found in Triassic sediment at St Peter’s quarry, Sydney (Australia) in 1910. It was approximately 2.7 m (9ft) long and beautifully preserved. The previous curator of fossils, H.O. Fletcher, stated (p.13) Triassic rocks were regarded as being about 180 million years old. Triassic rocks are presently regarded as being between 240 and 205 million years old. Since 1972 the accepted age of Triassic rocks has therefore changed by about 60 million years. Not exactly rock solid dates, are they?
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