How do ancient deserts preserve animal footprints and tracks?
Quick Answer
Dry sediment can harden quickly after a creature walks across it, especially if it is later buried by more sediment. That can preserve tracks for millions of years.
The Full Story
Desert environments can preserve footprints, trackways, and burrows because dry mud or sand may harden before it is destroyed. If the surface is then buried by sediment, the impression can survive long enough to fossilize. Paleontologists have found trackways from dinosaurs and early mammals in ancient desert deposits. Such fossils provide clues about behavior, speed, and group movement, not just body shape. Famous track sites occur in ancient dune and playa deposits around the world.
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