Rock climbers in Italy stumbled across evidence of what appears to be a sea turtle stampede that took place nearly 80 million years ago. Now, new research suggests these ancient marine reptiles were fleeing an earthquake.
The climbers recognized the significance of their find because the grooves in the rock face on Monte Cònero overlooking the Adriatic Sea reminded them of others that had made headlines earlier that year. Those grooves had been found in another part of the same regional park and were attributed to a Cretaceous marine reptile pressing its paddles into the seafloor. They consulted with fellow-climber and geologist, Paolo Sandroni, who got in touch with Alessandro Montanari, director of the Coldigioco Geological Observatory (OGC).
