Unearthing Ancient Secrets: Utahraptor and Oldest Mosasaur Fossil Discovered
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Science Friday
A groundbreaking study led by Utah's state paleontologist, Jim Kirkland, has established the absolute age of the Utahraptor to be 135 million years old, 10 million years older than previously believed. This discovery not only expands our knowledge of Utah's state dinosaur but also fills a significant gap in the fossil record, shedding light on the transition from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous period. The study, which utilized uranium-lead geochronology and radiocarbon dating techniques, also revealed the first North American record of the Weissert Event, a global catastrophe that occurred approximately 133 million years ago. This finding further solidifies Utah's status as a prominent hub for paleontology and geology.