The Winton Formation
The Winton Dinosaurs are found in the lowermost Winton Formation, approximately 98-95 million years old.
These rocks are mudstones, shales, claystones, sandstones and carbon-rich shales that formed from sediments deposited in estuaries, streams, deltas, lakes and rivers. At this time the last of the great Cretaceous inland seas was retreating to the north.
The Elliot site was part of a large river delta system that was building out into the receding sea. Sharks, turtles and a variety of other marine life lived in the nearby estuaries The Elliot site would have been part of the coastal lowlands.
The sediments that formed these rocks originally came from a series of volcanoes on the eastern side of the Australian continent. The last remnants of these are the Whitsunday Islands. Their violent eruptions provided the vast quantities of sediment that filled the Great Artesian Basin.
Deep weathering has eroded nearly all surface outcrops of the lower Winton Formation. We have to dig deep through black soil to reach the remains of the rocks and their precious fossil contents.
For more information:
Cook, A. 2003 Filling in the gaps - prehistoric landscapes and environments. Australian Age of Dinosaurs Yearbook. Issue 1, 2003, pp 35-39.
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