Dinosaur eggshells unlock a new way to tell time in the fossil record

TO reliably determine the age of fossil-bearing rocks, an international team of geologists and palaeontologists are pioneering a methodology that directly dates fossilised dinosaur eggshells.

- STAFF REPORTER

ARTISTIC reconstruction of a newly hatched troodontid-like dinosaur resting among fragments of its eggshell (loosely based on Mongolian microtroodontid-type). These eggshells, when buried within ancient soil, interacted with meteoric waters, leading to early uranium incorporation into the eggshell calcite crystals.

“Eggshell calcite is remarkably versatile,” says Dr Ryan Tucker from Stellenbosch University’s Department of Earth Sciences.

“It gives us a new way to date fossil sites where volcanic layers are missing, a challenge that has limited palaeontology for decades.”