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In the dry, wind‑carved landscapes of northern Chile, paleontologists have uncovered a set of footprints that reach deeper into time than anything previously found in the region. Stamped into the ancient sediments of the Majala Formation, these tracks — left by both theropods and sauropods — date back 160 million years, placing them firmly in the Late Jurassic and making them the oldest dinosaur footprints ever discovered in Chile.
What makes this discovery so compelling is not just its age, but the story these prints begin to tell. The theropod tracks, likely left by agile, carnivorous dinosaurs, sit alongside the broad, heavy impressions of sauropods — the long‑necked giants that once roamed Gondwana. Together, they sketch a moment of coexistence, a fleeting intersection of predator and herbivore preserved in stone.
The Majala Formation has long been a geological puzzle, but these footprints give it new clarity. They push the timeline of dinosaur presence in Chile further back than researchers expected, revealing that these animals were moving across this part of South America far earlier than the fossil record previously suggested. Each print becomes a clue: how the animals walked, how fast they moved, how soft or firm the ground was beneath them.
Beyond the scientific details, the discovery opens a rare window into the ecosystems of Jurassic Gondwana. At a time when the supercontinent was beginning to fracture, these dinosaurs wandered through humid floodplains and volcanic landscapes that looked nothing like the deserts of today. Their footprints capture not just movement, but environment — a snapshot of life in a world on the brink of continental transformation.
For paleontologists, finds like this are gold. Bones tell us what dinosaurs looked like. Footprints tell us how they lived. They reveal behavior, gait, group movement, and interactions that skeletons alone can’t capture. And in a region where the Jurassic record is still sparse, these tracks become foundational evidence for reconstructing ancient South American ecosystems.
In the end, the Majala footprints remind us that the ground beneath our feet is layered with stories — some written by creatures that vanished long before humans ever appeared. Chile’s newest discovery doesn’t just extend a timeline; it deepens our sense of wonder about the worlds that came before ours.