Fossil Hunting at the Airport
Waiting at an airport can be quite boring. Once check in and the security searches have been completed, then there is not much more to do prior to boarding your flight. However, for Everything Dinosaur team members returning from Germany, one airport provided them with the opportunity to go on an unexpected fossil hunt. The polished limestone floors at Nuremberg Airport (southern Germany), are full of Jurassic marine invertebrate fossils.
A Fossil Spotted at the Airport (Nuremberg Airport)
A cephalopod fossil (ammonite) on the airport stone floor.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The Jurassic of Germany
In southern Germany, particularly the state of Bavaria, in the region from Nuremberg in the north to Munich in the south, there are many limestone exposures and limestone quarries to be found. Formed from carbonate rich muds that once existed at the bottom of salty lagoons and shallow coastal margins, the rocks are famous for their fine-grained structure and flat cleaving. These properties help to make this limestone ideal building material and the stone in this part of Germany (known as Plattenkalk), has been quarried for thousands of years.
Most of the limestone represents sediments laid down in the Middle and Late Jurassic and large areas are highly fossiliferous. Travellers at Nuremberg Airport were quite surprised to see members of Everything Dinosaur on their hands and knees, examining and photographing various floor tiles.
Jurassic Invertebrate Fossils in Abundance at Nuremberg Airport
An ammonite fossil with the cross section of a belemnite guard.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
In the picture above, the cross section of a belemnite guard can be clearly seen on one tile, abutted up against it is another tile that shows the cross-sectional outline of an ammonite. There are also numerous bivalve and brachiopod fossils preserved in the stone floor. Thousands of people visit Nuremberg Airport every week, but we wonder how many of them actually notice what they are walking on!
An Innovative Fossil Hunt
Ten years ago, Everything Dinosaur blogged about an innovative fossil hunting tour that could be undertaken by travellers at John Lennon Airport (Liverpool). The ancient remains of long extinct sea creatures can be seen in the stone of the walls and floors of the concourse. John Lennon Airport introduced the “JLA Fossil Mystery Tour” in collaboration with the Liverpool Geological Society.
To read more about the John Lennon Airport Fossil Hunting Tour: Why Not go on a Fossil Hunt Whilst Waiting at the Airport?
Perhaps the Nuremberg Airport authorities have missed a trick, with such a wonderful stone floor, travellers could be encouraged to have a go at finding fossils for themselves. There are certainly many hundreds of fossils to see, perhaps if a tour could not be organised, then it might be a good idea to put up some information boards and displays. You never know, it might encourage more tourists to visit the museums in the area such as the Naturhistorisches Museum of Nuremberg.
Ancient Traces Preserved in the Limestone Floor
Fossils at Nuremberg airport.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Spotting Ammonite Remains During the Fossil Hunt
The picture above shows two more ammonite fossils, although it is difficult to identify genera, the larger specimen (bottom left), still shows its fine, straight ribs that would have adorned the outside of the shell. The smaller ammonite cross section (right), shows some preservation of internal structure, could those be suture lines we are seeing?
What an Ammonite Actually Looked Like
A great ammonite model for use in schools, museums and for model collectors.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The picture above shows the excellent Wild Safari Prehistoric World ammonite model. If you look carefully at the stone floors at Nuremberg Airport you can spot the preserved remains of Jurassic ammonites and other extinct marine creatures.
To view the range of prehistoric animal models including the Wild Safari Prehistoric World ammonite available from Everything Dinosaur: Safari Ltd Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.
