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Geologists want ancient footprints preserved

From the archive, first published Tuesday 31st Dec 2002.

Geologists are calling for a collection of dinosaur footprints, which are set to be buried under tons of rubbish, to be pres- erved.

The footprints in a limestone quarry and landfill site outside Ardley with Fewcott, near Bicester, are due to be covered with refuse.

Casts of the prints have been spread across the front lawn of the Oxford University Museum of Natural history in Parks Road, Oxford. Other prints are on view inside the museum.

But the geologists want the prints -- made in mud 165m years ago -- to become the focus of a Jurassic park.

Mike Windle, chairman of Oxfordshire Regionally Important Geological Sites, said: "The footprints should be saved.

"They could be lost to view in about five years' time."

He accepted that creating a park to display the footprints would be expensive.

Waste company Virador, which operates the site, has worked closely with the museum over the future of the footprints and helped refurbish a lifesize model of a dinosaur.

External affairs manager Dan Cooke, said: "We have looked at the possibility of preserving the footprints in the quarry but there are difficulties. If they were left to the open air they could break up in a short period of time."

Prof Philip Powell, assistant curator of the museum's geological collections, agreed there were problems in preserving the footprints.

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