Student Was On A Field Trip To A Coal Mine When He Unearthed Signs Of A Wild Ancient Creature

Tucked away in northern Colombia, the Cerrejón coal mine is a vital part of the nation’s economy. After all, this pit pumps out a whopping 30 million tons of coal every year! But what many people don’t realize, though, is that it has also proved to be a crucial historical site, rich in ancient fossils that describe a world that existed over 60 million years ago. During a field trip to Cerrejón, one local university student stumbled upon several jaw-dropping artifacts, including a colossal-sized ancient creature that archaeologists didn’t even know existed...

A mine like any other?

On the surface, the Cerrejón facility seems to be a coal mine like any other. In fact, its arid landscape and lack of vegetation and wildlife arguably make it a bit of an eyesore. What most people don’t realize, though, is that beneath Cerrejón’s sandy surface lies an unknown ancient world just waiting to be uncovered.

A scientist's paradise

Located just 60 miles from the Caribbean coast in northern Colombia, this area was once a tropical rainforest in prehistoric times. What’s more, there’s plenty to explore: with a surface area larger than that of Washington D.C., there’s plenty of land to excavate at Cerrejón in the search for historical treasures. Naturally, commercial mining activities in the area have been the main driver behind such discoveries.

An ancient treasure trove

Seeing as the Cerrejón coal mine spans such a large area, it comes as no surprise that a variety of precious ancient artifacts have been uncovered here, particularly animal fossils. In fact, the mining company itself was aware of the area’s palaeontological riches after a few unique first-hand experiences.

The adventure begins

Back in 1990, a geologist named Henry Garcia stumbled upon a fossil lying in one of the pits. Unsure of its identity, Garcia called it the “petrified branch” due to its appearance. He housed the stone artifact in a display case at the site office, and, soon enough, it was forgotten — that is, until another historical expert realized its significance years later.

Don't judge a book by its cover

In 2003, paleontologist Scott Wing visited the mine, where the “petrified branch” caught his eye. With his curiosity piqued, Dr. Wing decided to send a photo of the fossil to his friend, fellow paleontologist Jonathan Bloch. Upon viewing the photograph, Dr. Bloch was astonished. It seemed an invaluable artifact had almost been overlooked entirely.

The fossil's greater significance

According to Dr. Bloch, this fossil was far more than just a simple display piece. In fact, it was not a petrified branch at all, but rather the fossilized jawbone of an animal. Eager to confirm its authenticity, the academic hopped on a flight to Colombia to examine it further. But before any of this could happen, it had taken the work of a curious university student to get the ball rolling...

The field trip

Fabiany Herrera, an undergraduate student at the Industrial University of Santander, had visited the Cerrejon coal mine in 2003. As he explored the vast terrain, the geology major idly picked up a piece of sandstone. To his surprise, there was an impression from a prehistoric leaf underneath. As he continued to turn stones over, the same phenomenon occurred. Clearly, Herrera had stumbled upon something big.

Teaming up

After identifying a trend, the flabbergasted Herrera decided to show the rocks to scientist Carlos Jaramillo, who worked for Colombia’s oil company. Clearly excited by this discovery, Dr. Jaramillo decided to call up Dr. Wing and invited him to join he and Herrera on a full expedition to the coal mine in 2003. Little did the team know then what astonishing discoveries awaited them...

The great expedition

Over the course of four months, Herrera and the rest of the team engaged in an extensive fossil hunt across the Cerrejón region. In that time, the research crew explored tons of pit mines across the region, collecting over 2,000 plant specimens in the process. Soon, it became clear that Cerrejón had been a rainforest that the forerunners of many plant and animal species we see today had once called home.

Continuing the search

It was during this very expedition that Dr. Wing discovered the truth about the “petrified branch” on display in the office. Once Dr. Bloch had been alerted and had given his assessment, the team knew that they were onto something big. As the expedition came to an end, the research team immediately decided to schedule another trip to Cerrejón. It was on this trip that the now four-man team would discover the remains of a truly terrifying creature.

Pieces of a skeleton

When the date of the next expedition arrived, Dr. Bloch requested to see the “petrified branch” in person. Unfortunately, no one had a key to the display case that housed the specimen. By chance, though, a glass pane in the case broke as they examined the lock, allowing the team access to its contents. The “petrified branch” was confirmed to be a mandible, but behind it there was a second bone, which seemed to be a pelvis.

Connecting the dots

After the second expedition had come to an end, more researchers got involved in this ongoing project. And as they uncovered more fossils, these field workers sent photos of their discoveries to Dr. Bloch. It was once they began exploring the open pit in Cerrejón’s North Zone that the researchers made their biggest breakthrough.

The bigger picture

For five years, Dr. Bloch and Dr. Jaramillo ensured the continuity of the Cerrejón excavations. During this time, further vertebrate fossils were discovered, many of which belonged to the ancestors of modern animals. One discovery was a new species of turtle which was five-and-a-half feet long! But believe it or not, this wasn’t even the most shocking find...

The serpent

As the excavations continued, more shipments of fossils were sent to the United States for further examination. In 2007, a University of Florida graduate student named Alex Hastings made a shocking discovery. While the latest shipment of fossils was labeled “crocodile," a piece of the creature’s spine suggested that this was not the case. Together with classmate and reptile specialist Jason Bourque, he determined that these fossils actually belonged to an enormous snake.

Just how big is this thing?

With knowledge of this latest revelation, Dr. Bloch contacted a former classmate named Jason Head, who worked at the University of Toronto. In his eyes, Dr. Head was the man who would be able to help him determine the size of the snake. Immediately, Dr. Head jetted off to the U.S., where together with the Cerrejón researchers he analyzed the fossils, only to discover something he never thought possible.

The Titanoboa

After examining similar fossils from separate animals to deduce the full extent of these snakes’ vertebrae, Dr. Head and his assistant were astonished to discover that these ancient creatures had been between 42 feet and 49 feet long, with each one weighing roughly 2,500 pounds! In addition to being the largest known snakes to have ever existed, they would also have been among the largest-ever land animals overall. This terrifying new reptile species was named the Titanoboa.

Understanding the prehistoric reptile

While the identity of this colossal creature may have been uncovered, the job wasn’t over yet. The researchers still had much to learn about the Titanoboa’s lifestyle, diet, and behavior. Soon enough, one of these giant serpent’s skulls was discovered at the coal mine, affording the team’s more opportunity to learn the secrets of this great beast.

Not a picky eater

According to Smithsonian magazine, while analyzing the skull, the researchers found that the Titanoboa possessed rows of closely packed teeth, equipping it to consume slippery, scaly creatures. While capable of eating fish, the giant reptile’s place at the top of the food chain meant it could target larger prey, too. So experts believe that along with fish, this fearsome snake would have feasted on turtles and crocodiles too!

How the snake inspired further research

A truly fascinating creature, the discovery of the Titanoboa has inspired further exploration into an ecosystem that is more than 60 million years old. Another intriguing discovery that was made at the Cerrejón coal mine was a prehistoric crocodile, dubbed Anthracosuchus balrogus, which weighed up to 900 pounds! Intriguingly, the coal mine has also given us further insights into the extinction of the dinosaurs.

A window into the dawn of time

Thanks to the research team’s tireless efforts, they were able to uncover far more than just the Titanoboa. By inspecting the rocks of Cerrejón, it was revealed how the meteorite that struck the Yucatán Peninsula caused an environmental crisis. Afterwards, some creatures, such as crocodiles, adapted and survived, while others were lost to the history books.

An alternate theory

Yet was an asteroid the true cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs? Robert DePalma begs to differ. The 37-year-old curator of the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History is quite the controversial figure within the paleontological community, and his theory about how this mass extinction really played out could change everything we know about prehistory.

North Dakota discovery

DePalma is perhaps best known for the widely publicized discovery he made near Bowman, North Dakota, in 2012. After receiving a tip from a private fossil collector, DePalma and his team began excavating a site along the well-known Hell Creek Formation.

Tanis

Initially, DePalma felt the site, dubbed "Tanis," had little promise, something the collector had made him privy to prior to the excavation. However, after returning to Tanis in 2013, the paleontologist discovered there was more to this unassuming patch of rock than met the eye.

Rare fossils

Just a few meters below the surface, DePalma discovered a host of rare and unusual fossils, including those of species he claimed to have never seen before. It was an incredible find, though one set of bones in particular caught DePalma's eye — and left him positively stumped.

Mosasaur skeleton

Beneath the skeleton of a freshwater paddlefish, DePalma discovered the tooth of a mosasaur, an enormous reptilian predator that made its home in the oceans of the Early Cretaceous period. This puzzled DePalma and his team, for there was no way this creature could've existed in the fresh waters of prehistoric North Dakota.

Tektite remnants

The layout of the find was also unusual, the fossils deposited haphazardly and some skeletons even buried vertically in the dirt. Combined with the fact that tektites — small bits of natural glass created from meteor impacts — were also present, everyone was left scratching their head.

Asteroid origins

Then, a lightbulb went off: could the tektite fragments found in the Tanis deposit have been scattered here by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs? While some researchers would be quick to accept such a theory, the plausibility of this scenario isn't exactly cut and dry.

Extinction event

The widely held belief that an asteroid impact caused the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event is primarily based on the presence of the KT layer. This 66-million-year-old band of earth stretches over nearly the entire globe and contains a high level of iridium, an element primarily found in asteroids.

Chicxulub crater

This theory is also supported by the Chicxulub crater, a 112-mile impression in the Yucatan Peninsula that contains the same mineral make-up as the KT layer. Therefore, most scientists assume that the asteroid that created this crater scattered the iridium debris that ultimately wiped out the dinosaurs.

Not adding up

If this were the case, then, one would expect to find plenty of fossils in the KT layer. After all, it was during this time that nearly all life on Earth went extinct. However, this actually isn't true at all — hardly any fossils have ever been found in this layer of rock.

Down in the dirt

In fact, most fossils are found about ten feet below the KT layer, which, geologically speaking, would amount to thousands of years between the death of these creatures and the fateful asteroid impact. Therefore, it seems highly unlikely that an extraterrestrial object reduced every last dinosaur to rubble.

Alternative explanations

Proponents of this alternate theory do still believe that an asteroid impact finished off the last of these prehistoric creatures, though they propose that factors like large-scale volcanic activity and climate change had already wiped out most of the dinosaurs by this point.

Ending the debate

However, according to DePalma, the Tanis find was the key to finally putting this debate to bed. Not only were the fossils he discovered located within the KT layer, but their haphazard placement suggested they were deposited here just moments after the asteroid struck.

Tsunami waves

With this information in mind, DePalma posited that the mile-high tsunamis created by the impact must've traveled up river valleys and into freshwater bodies, which is how the mosasaur tooth came to be here. This was big news.

Scientific outrage

Eager to share his discovery with the world, DePalma sat down with The New Yorker to share the exclusive details of his historic find. However, as soon as the story broke in April 2019, the paleontology community grew outraged.

Publication wars

Many of DePalma's colleagues were upset that the paleontologist had chosen to share his story with The New Yorker instead of a reputable scientific journal. DePalma later published his discovery in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, though many felt this account was significantly less detailed than his New Yorker piece.

Past controversy

Even prior to this, however, DePalma was considered by some to be a controversial figure in the world of paleontology. In 2015, he introduced a new species of dinosaur he'd recovered from the Hell Creek Formation dubbed Dakotaraptor, though after presenting the completed skeleton, it was discovered one of the bones belonged to a turtle.

In it for the money?

DePalma also stirred up controversy with his business practices, as he retains all control of his specimens even after they've been placed in museums and university collections. He also reportedly funds his field work by creating replicas of his finds and selling them to private collectors.

Limited evidence

But the strangest discrepancy of all may be DePalma's record of the discovery itself. While the paleontologist and his team have made claims about the large number of dinosaur fossils uncovered near the surface of the Tanis deposit, his article in PNAS only mentions one example in a supplementary document.

Looking for answers

As of now, additional papers on Tanis are being prepared that will hopefully clear up the confusion surrounding DePalma's find. Until then, one can only wonder if DePalma's discovery will truly change history or simply wind up as the fabrication of another would-be hero in search of fame and glory.