Fossil are over 500 million years – El Colombiano

An expedition of paleontologists from different Spanish universities located in La Rinconada de la Sierra (Salamanca) which so far may be the oldest fossil trilobite world, with at least 520 million . of years

It was found through the work of several geologists, including paleontologist Eladio Grin , of the University of Zaragoza, and Professor Geology at the University of Valencia Rodolfo Gozalo , who told Efe the relevance of the discovery.

This type of trilobites (arthropods that lived in the Paleozoic era), with many millions of years old, you could only see so far in Siberia, Morocco and in a border area between the United States and Mexico.

The discovery was made several weeks ago, following a research project as paleontologists are part of a team of Unesco working for some time to redefine the period called the Cambrian, the first of the Primary Era, between 570 million and 500 million years old.

In La Rinconada de la Sierra is known since 1972, thanks to the study of Salamanca geologist Carlos Garcia Figuerola , the possible existence of such fossils, due to structural folds of the land.

“In La Rinconada is one of the best cuts to analyze the Cambrian,” according to Rodolfo Gozalo , because in these villages are called “Sandstone Tamames” a kind of rock located which suggests the existence of such fossils.

“After an entire day chopping discovered the fossil of 520 million years,” said the scientist.

Now, the fossil trilobite is deposited in the Museum of the University of Zaragoza and in the coming weeks all sorts of explanations for this finding will be offered in a scientific publication.

So far, the fossil located in the province of Salamanca has been named as Lunagraulos tamamensis and “there is only one similar in the Alconera, Badajoz” (south of Salamanca), he said Rodolfo Gozalo .