Guimarota
Encyclopedia
Guimarota is a disused coal mine
that contains a diverse array of fossil
animals and plants from the Upper Jurassic
, Kimmeridgian
period. It is located in central Portugal
, near the city of Leiria
.
The locality was extensively worked by paleontologists from the Free University of Berlin
, but this activity stopped in 1982. Further excavations are considered to be unlikely, since the mine is now flooded. Pumping it out and rendering it safe again would be prohibitively expensive.
The mammal
remains from this site are of particular note. The excavations were so successful that many of the recovered remains have yet to be studied.
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
that contains a diverse array of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
animals and plants from the Upper Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
, Kimmeridgian
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age or stage in the Late or Upper Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian and precedes the Tithonian....
period. It is located in central Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, near the city of Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
.
The locality was extensively worked by paleontologists from the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
, but this activity stopped in 1982. Further excavations are considered to be unlikely, since the mine is now flooded. Pumping it out and rendering it safe again would be prohibitively expensive.
The mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
remains from this site are of particular note. The excavations were so successful that many of the recovered remains have yet to be studied.