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Alcoota Fossil Beds
Permanent Declaration
Place
The Alcoota Fossil Beds are one of only three known vertebrate fossil sites in the Northern Territory. The others are the Bullock Creek Fossil Site on Camfield Station and the Kangaroo Well Site on Deep Well Station.
The Alcoota fauna has a rich concentration of vertebrate fossils dating to the late Miocene period (about 8 million years old) and contains an abundance of aquatic and stream-bank species. The fossil deposit consists of a series of bone-bearing lenses on a single horizon. The individual lenses are only about 1 metre across but extended for about 170 metres.

Fossils from a wide range of marsupials, birds and crocodiles are present including anatids (duck), pheonicopterid (flamingo), diprotodontids (wombat-like marsupials), dasyurids, varanids (large goanna-like reptiles), thylacinid (thylacine-like animal) and crocodylids.
The Alcoota Fossil Beds are of particular importance in providing evidence for the evolution of the Northern Territory's fauna and climate. They are a unique occurrence of well-preserved, often rare, Tertiary vertebrate fossils, the study of which will furnish a better understanding of the modern Australian fauna. The Alcoota Fossil Beds are also significant as a research and teaching site for palaeantology students and for containing the type locality of the Waite Formation.
02/04/1993
10/05/1993
09/11/1993
Comment sought
30/01/1995
18/02/1995
08/02/1995
H93/0016
Natural
Central Desert Shire
In 1962, a local collector took some bones he'd been given to a Geologist for identification. A comprehensive study of the palaeontology of the area was published in 1967.
Further Reading
Murray, P and Megiran, D. 1992. Continuity and Contrast in middle and late Miocene vertebrate communities from the Northern Territory. The Beagle 9 (1):195-218.
Newsome, AE and Rochow, KA. 1964. Vertebrate fossils from Tertiary sediments in Central Australia. Australian Journal of Science 26:352.
Woodburne, M.O. 1967. The Alcoota Fauna, Central Australia. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Australia, Bulletin 87.
Photo
   
NameDescriptionDate Added
ViewAlcoota01_LR.jpgAlcoota landscape21/JUL/21
ViewAlcoota03_LR.jpgAlcoota Landscape21/JUL/21
ViewAlcoota13_LR.jpgAlcoota fossil bed21/JUL/21
ViewAlcoota17_LR.jpgAlcoota fossil bed21/JUL/21
ViewAlcoota08_LR.jpgAlcoota fossil bed21/JUL/21
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Scan
   
NameDescriptionDate Added
ViewInstrument.pdf - 06/FEB/09
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Further Information
   
NameDescriptionDate Added
ViewAlcoota Fossil Beds.pdfFactsheet13/DEC/11
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Approximate Location
   
LAIS KeyStreet NumberStreet NameSuburbLocation CodeLot NumberLTO PlanPartTenure
000 04075 0 ANMATJERE0004075 - - Crown Lease Perpetual
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Nomination Period - a nomination has been accepted by Heritage Branch, but has not yet been accepted by the Heritage Council; OR a nomination has been accepted by the Heritage Council but the place/object has not yet been subject to a heritage assessment.

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