Megafauna mega-find: the extraordinary discoveries at Diamond Valley Lake

Construction of a huge Californian reservoir had just begun when bones started to emerge – and turned out to be a vast treasure trove of Pleistocene fossilsIn the early 1990s,the Eastside Reservoir project– eventually simply referred to as Diamond Valley Lake – was announced. Planners intended to create an enormous reservoir to act as Southern California’s emergency water supply. It would require a huge excavation, and accordingly, an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), a requisite before constr uction could commence, was commissioned.When complete, the EIR indicated there would be few fossils of any significant scientific value; should any fossils be found, they would be fragmentary at best. Construction was therefore given the green light, and theheavy machinery moved in.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Palaeontology Science Fossils Evolution Source Type: news