Australian Museum Research Reveals Iron-Rich Fossil Site Challenges Paleontology Search Methods

Researchers from the Australian Museum Research Institute have documented McGraths Flat, a fossil site in New South Wales, Australia, dating to the Miocene epoch 11-16 million years ago. The site features exceptionally preserved fossils in iron-rich sedimentary rock called ferricrete, capturing detailed soft tissues from ancient rainforest ecosystems. This discovery challenges traditional assumptions that well-preserved fossils only occur in shale or sandstone formations, offering new guidelines for locating similar terrestrial fossil sites globally.