<
https://theconversation.com/we-spent-2-years-in-deep-underground-caves-to-bring-this-extraordinary-fossil-to-light-226629>
"Pitch-black darkness. Crushing squeezes, muddy passages, icy waterfalls. Bats
and spiders. Abseiling over ledges into the unknown. How far would you go for a
fossil?
On a two-year retrieval mission of nearly 60 hours in an underground cave, we
met our limits – and went beyond.
The limestone slope of Potholes Cave Reserve is found in Gunaikurnai Country,
north of the township of Buchan in eastern Victoria.
Here, the river valley is peppered with shadowy entrances to underground caves.
Portals barely large enough to permit a willing caver open into kilometres of
subterranean passages encrusted with delicate crystals twinkling in torchlight.
In one of them, Nightshade Cave, the Museums Victoria Research Institute led a
team of recreational cavers and Parks Victoria rangers to excavate an
extraordinary fossil: a near-complete skeleton of the extinct short-faced
kangaroo
Simosthenurus occidentalis. In June this year, it will appear on
display at Melbourne Museum."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
