Construction Damages 112 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Track in Utah, Inciting Public Outrage

A 112 million-year-old dinosaur track was severely damaged by a bulldozer during a government-funded construction at the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite in Utah. The bulldozer was attempting to remove a wooden boardwalk and replace it with concrete and metal for the safety of visitors.

There have been several accounts that the trackway was already fragile prior to the incident. The local government has halted construction of the site until the ongoing investigation has concluded.

112 Million-Year-Old Tracks from Dinosaurs and Ancient Crocodiles

According to the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite has more than 200 fossilized tracks, including from dinosaurs and ancient crocodiles.

Some of these tracks were from long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs and several types of carnivorous dinosaurs.

The BLM considers the track site as one of the largest and most diverse track sites from the early Cretaceous period in North America.

The Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite is located approximately 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the city of Moab, Utah. Discovered in 2009, the dinosaur trackway was opened to the public in 2013.

Government-Funded Construction Project

The BLM - Moab field office was operating a construction to replace the boardwalk at the dinosaur track site, as per The Salt Lake Tribune.

In October 2021, the BLM proposed the repair of the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite. Under the proposal, the BLM was supposed to remove the wooden boardwalk and replaced them with poured concrete and metal to improve the safety of visitors of the site.

Previous Warnings on the Fragile State of the Trackways

There have been warnings already regarding the fragile state of the tracks at the site prior to the incident, indicating its vulnerability even from visitors.

Scientists from the US, UK, Spain, China, South Korea, and Argentina who visited the site in the past have warned that the dinosaur tracks were extremely in a fragile state, as cited by Live Science.

The 112 million-year-old dinosaur trackway is a quarter-mile long but its tracks are already fragile and can be damaged just by walking on the surface, as per the Utah Paleontology organization.

Public Outcry from the Incident

The Center for Biological Diversity, on January 31, issued a cease and desist letter for the destruction of irreplaceable paleontological resources at the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite.

The incident also drew backlash from the public on social media on January 30. Some social media posts indicate that the halted construction at the site had caused a trip hazard.

Local authorities are conducting an investigation into the incident. The BLM's Moab office has temporarily suspended construction at the site until the investigation is concluded.

In response, the BLM's Moab office denied that the bulldozer caused damage to the dinosaur track. It is also unclear whether the site will be accessible to visitors in the coming days amid the investigation.