Decoding The Tha Uthen Cretaceous Enigma ถอดรหัสครีเทเชียสปริศนา ท่าอุเทน The Secret Marks Prior to the flood season of every year, Invaluable Impressions the people of Changwat Nakhon Phanom “Fossils are important natural resources that took Mother Nature millions and mil- who live along the bank of Mekong River lions of years to craft.” For centuries, fossils of various animals and plants have been must gather large sand stones and arrange discovered throughout Thailand. Amongst these fossils, the ones that have attracted the them along the bank of the river to shield most attention from people of all ages are the ones belonging to dinosaurs. Especial- their homes from the currents of the mighty ly fossilized skeletal fragments, egg shells, feces, and footprints. The first dinosaur fossil river. These refrigerator sized blocks of sand- was discovered in Changwat Khon Kaen in 1976. Since then, more and more have been stone are from a mining area owned by Saha found throughout the country with the majority being from the Isan region. Rungrueang Co., Ltd. in Tambon Phanom of Amphoe Tha Uthen. As the Department of Mineral Resources recognizes that “fossils are important natural Sandstone-paved bank shields homes from the resources that took Mother Nature millions and millions of years to craft,” we consider the During the transport of these sand- currents of the Mekong River excavation and study of all fossils significant. Hence, systematic approaches have been de- stones, some of the miners noticed strange veloped to ensure accurate and proper data gathering. Not only for the benefit of Thais, but three-pronged patterns resembling chicken all around the world, as some of these fossilized remains belong to dinosaur species currently footprints on some of these reddish brown unique to Thailand. Furthermore, the Department of Mineral Resources has proposed that stones. Some of these prints were on back- laws be passed to protect and preserve these fossils. As a result, an ACT to protect fossils grounds with wave-like patterns while others have was issued in 2008. And by means of this ACT, the Department of Mineral Resources was backgrounds of unusual geometric shapes. able to declare the Footprints at tha Uthen in Changwat Nakhon Phanom Thailand’s first registered fossil site in 2011. What makes the footprints of Tha Uthen so special that it deserves special protection? What can these prints tell us about the past? “Decoding the Tha Uthen Cretaceous Enigma” The sandstone quarry where the strange prints will unravel these mysteries and take you back to the Cretaceous period, when these prints were found are still fresh, and the creatures that left them behind are still roaming Tha Uthen. Not knowing what they were, the news stayed merely between those who came in direct contact with the stones. It was not until the mid-2001 during the Strange prints on a background with wave- exploration of the Tha Uthen area by Mr. Nares (Mr.Tawsaporn Nuchanong) like patterns Sattayarak, a geologist from the Department Director General of Mineral resources that these prints were Department of Mineral Resources ascertained to belong to a prehistoric creature. Further investigation lead by Mr. Varavudh Suteethorn, a fossil specialist from the Depart- ment of Mineral Resources involved the col- lection of visual samples, geological mapping of the area, as well as tracing of the footprints on plastic sheets for remote studies in the de- partment’s laboratories. Tracing of the footprints on plastic sheets for remote studies 4 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 5 Prehistoric terrain and atmospheric conditions Solving the Ancient Mysteries The footprints of Tha Uthen were left on a formation of sedimentary rocks consisting of fine red sandstones, siltstone, with a thin layer of mudstone covering sandstone exhibiting The decoding team lead by Dr. Varavudh Suteethorn collaborated with French ripple marks and mud cracks. A number of footprints can be found on top of these ripple scientists, Paleo-biologists, and aspiring geologists to uncover the hidden clues left behind marks and mud cracks. on this layer of sandstone. Analyzing these clues we can learn a number of things about the environment during By analyzing the shape, size, direction, and the relative angle and distance between the Cretaceous period and how these prints were formed and preserved. each print we can learn a great deal about the anatomy of the print’s owner. By comparing The prints were made at the shore of a river with a winding bend that flows gently with modern day animals, we can ascertain the creature’s height, width of hip, and even the near the end of the flooding season. As the water level gradually decrease shallow parts of speed of its movement. We can even learn whether the creature prefers to live in solitary the river become still muddy ponds while the parts that still manage to flow made ripple marks or seeks the companionship of a herd. Further study of microscopic geological evidence on the sediment. Decoding these patterns tells us that this river flows northwest. can also lend clues to the creature’s diet and paints us a picture of its habitat. Furthermore, As the dry season approaches, the prints made on the wet soil begin to dry out. The stratigraphy tells us these prints were left during the Late Early Cretaceous period over 100 muddy ponds that some prehistoric creatures have stepped in dry out creating polygonal million years ago. cracks. Over time, the prints that our Ostrich-like friend, Ornithomimosaur left atop the tiny Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it has been determined that the footprints ripple marks on the soil harden and solidify. belong to at least 3 distinct prehistoric creatures as follows: As the rain returns, flood waters bring sediments of sand and dirt from high ground. 1 Iguanodon – A herbivore with a single row of teeth. The mixture acts as the plaster to our “footprint mold” that the previous dry season has cre- 2 Ornithomimosaur- An ostrich-like toothless omnivorous dinosaur that lives in a group. ated thus, perfectly preserving them until the present day. 3 Ancient Crocodile – A carnivorous reptile with a long tail, hard skin and big jaws.
Fine particles of sand deposited and hardened Ripples marks indicate that the owners of in the mud cracks the marks roamed along a river side. Essential conditions that must be met for the formation of fossilized prints on sandstone: The formation of any fossilized prints from footprints, wormholes to rain marks, ripple marks, and mud cracks can only occur under the following conditions: 1. The prints must be made on wet sediment without being tampered by nearby animals 2. An arid environment must harden the print preserving its original shape 3. The collection of sediment after the prints had hardened must occur gradually The shape, size, direction, and the relative angle and distance between each print, without affecting the original print together with other geological evidences e.g. rock type and other prints, are basic 4. More and more sediments collect over time information for decoding. 5. All the layers become solid through compaction over time Without any one of these conditions, geological preservation of prints cannot occur.
6 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 7 “After the rain – before the cold.” Back to Cretaceous Let us go back to 100 millions years ago in Amphoe Tha Uthen All may seem calm, but lurking in the shallows the Carnivorous Crocodile of Changwat Nakhon Phanom just after the flooding sea- is intently searching for any small creature that may wander close to its son or during what we call today “after the rain grasp. – before the cold.” Under the pollution-free The sandy clay that makes up the shoreline and the sand blue sky and amidst the greeneries, creatures ridges in the waters held the perfect amount of moisture for big and small are busy playing, foraging, hunting, any prints to be captured while the dinosaurs are roaming and searching for their mates. From the shore, the about. There are prints in patterns of circling, sliding, and stream seems to flow gently forming delicate ripples many repeated prints over the same area. There are on the surface passing several shallow muddy areas. also distorted and partial prints being washed away by Mother Nature has created a green paradise for the current. our Herbivorous friends the Iguanodon and the Long- The remaining prints that survive will endure neck Sauropod as well as our Omnivorous pal the millions of years of natural geological processes before Ornithomimosaur. they eventually reach the eyes of civilized man.
Sauropod - A herbivore with very long neck and tail. Its long neck allows it to feed on high trees and its long tail is for balance and defense. Ornithomimosaur- An ostrich-like toothless omnivorous dinosaur that lives in a group. It’s maximum moving speed is 70 km/hr.
The sandy clay that makes up the shoreline and sand bars in the waters held the perfect amount of moisture for any prints to be captured Iguanodon – A herbivore with a single row of teeth. It has four fingers and a thumb spike on each hand for defense. Ancient Crocodile – A carnivorous reptile with a long tail, hard skin and big jaws. It survived mass extinction because it could excavate large borrows or occupy underground caves and en- ter into a period of summer-sleep.
8 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 9 “The dry season approaches”
As rainfall reduces, the moisture in the air and the soil that shape the physical make-up of our planet. gradually decrease. The leaves on the trees turn brown and The absence on the eroding waters is an opportunity for brittle and fall to the sunlit forest floor beneath the cloudless sky. another geological process to take over. The hot sun and the The river basin that seemed so lively only a few months prior dryness evaporate the water in the sedimentary clay and becomes a quiet arid field. sand, hardening it and preserving whatever marks that had The water level in the river lowers drastically turning any been left previously. shallow areas to muddy puddles. The deep areas turn shallow The muddy pud- dles that had revealing the ripple marks on the fine sediments on the river been stepped in by some prehistoric floor. The creatures that used to roam the once populated creatures dry up and form polygonal cracks. The prints area now seek shelter from the heat elsewhere. that were made when the mud had the op- timum Amidst this quietness, an invisible force continues to amount of moisture is thus protected and pre- served impact the environment regardless of climate or season. on a beautiful background of ripple marks. “Geological Processes” such as weathering, erosion, and sed- imentation are natural processes
A turned over specimen of sandstone from an upper bed with casts of mud cracks stepped on by an iguanodon while the clay layer on the lower bed was not completely hardened. Apart from the shape and size of the footprints, measuring the pace, pace angle and stride can help decode the moving speed of the owners of the footprints. A turned over specimen of sandstone with casts of stride fossilized onithomimosaur footprints on ripple marks. p Crack a pace ang c le e ace p Fine particles of sand and clay are moved along the bottom of the river by In dry season, the dryness evaporates the slow currents creating ripple marks. The water in the muddy puddles and forms polygonal steeper side indicates downstream direction cracks because the mud surface tries to shrink (northwest). while the mud below stays the same size.
10 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 11 “The rain returns” As the Earth’s rotation around the sun brings a new season, the perpetual water cycle creates bal- ance by returning the rain, ending the drought. And a The flood waters will flow over any fallen different geological process will come into play. leaves, branches, and even carcasses of crea- The flood waters from rain will bring all sorts of tures that passed in the previous dry season. sediments from high ground. Because of the variance It may destroy any evidence of there ever in strength of flood currents in each area, diverse being any life in an area. But when kinds of particles and debris will accumulate at dif- the conditions are just right, ferent locations. Small currents can only carry fine the sediments in the water particles while the rapids can destroy rocks in its that accumulate over any path and bring larger particle, rock debris and gravel leave prints or bone frag- to areas of lower altitude. ments will act as a shield As the sediments are carried down the current, and preserve these evidence of life in the each individual particle collide with one another soil layer for a very long time. making them rounder and smaller the further they flow.
Welcoming the returned rain, creatures big and small are busy playing along the stream. At this time the hardened sedimentary prints, from the Mud cracks and hardened footprint molds passed dry season, could be damaged. await new sediments to fill up and start the geological preservation process.
Most of the hardened ripple marks formed in The new returned rains carry fine sediments the passed dry season are covered with new to fill up all the hardened sedimentary sediments. Some marks in the middle of the prints, and fossilization can begin. channel might be disintegrated by strong flows.
12 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 13 Revealing the mysterious legend The last particle...at the end of K. Continents Collide The Mysterious Prints at Tha Uthen Enormous amounts of sediments filled the Khorat Paleo-basin Over to the west, the India plate is 65 Million years has passed after the moving northward in collision with the Eurasia last sediment collected and we are back in plate. The tremendous amount of force from Geological processes can be both destructive and formative depending on the conditions the present. The present day Khorat plateau underneath the Earth’s crust is so great that consists of two main regions the Sakon and area. Rocks at high ground go through physical and chemical erosion and weathering. While the tectonic plates continue to move toward Nakhon Basin in the north and the Khorat lower areas and bodies of water are the perfect locations for sediments to gather and collect. each other even though the plates have come basin in the south with the Phu Phan moun- These processes are in perpetual motion but varying according to season and environmental into contact. As a result the plate’s edges tain range acting as the divider. conditions. rose up to form the great Himalaya mountain The plateau consists of a special After the flood season, when the sediments in the water have covered and range we all know today. formation of rock known as “Khok Kruat,” protected the hardened footprints, ripple marks and mud cracks, winter returns What this massive collision does as well shown below in lime- green. This formation of and the entire process repeats. Year after year, the sediments that is expose the sediments from underneath rock is distributed throughout the plateau with collect and accumulate influence the water level in a particular that have been collecting for the past only a small area in the Sakon Nakhon Basin. area and eventually changing where and how the water flows. 150 million years and raise it up much It is on this rock formation in Tambon These processes occur like clockwork year after year higher than the surrounding areas. Phanom, Amphoe Tha Uthen of Changwat until the Khorat Paleo-basin is met with a drastic change This makes the Khorat plateau Nakhon Phanom that Mother Nature has in environmental conditions. During the Mid-Cretaceous the perfect target for erosion and chosen to leave mysterious prints from the period, the Khorat basin endured repeated floods of weathering to take place. distant past for us to decode. sea water under dry conditions leaving behind layers of In the Sakon Nakhon Basin, Khok Kruat Rock Formation is rock salts hundreds of meters thick as a result. After the mainly found along it’s southern rim, rarely found in the north. sea water flooding episodes ended, the red dust that is In the north of the basin, Khok Kruat rocks characteristic of the soil in the region is allowed to blanket crop-out at Tha Uthen Dinosaur Footprint Site. the entire basin, closing the curtains on the millions of years of Sakon Nakhon Basin sedimentation that has occurred throughout the Mesozoic era.
PHU PHAN RANGE The last particle...at the end of K. Khok Kruat Rock Formation (lime-green) exposed prominently around the Khorat Basin, The sedimentation along with the preservation of footprints that south of the Phu Phan Range. occurred during the Early-Cretaceous period over 100 million years ago is merely small part of the entire history of sedimentation in the Khorat Paleo-basin. It began approximately 220 million years ago during the Late-Triassic period with periodic sedimentation during the Jurassic period. Continuous sedimentation occurs once more during the Khorat Basin Cretaceous period up until the end of “K” 65 million years ago. (the Cretaceous period is known to geologists worldwide as “K”). At which time the last particle becomes one with the many kilometer deep layers of sediments that has been collecting since 150 million years prior.
14 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 15 Learning Everybody helps safeguard Tha Uthen dinosaur footprint site and it Geosite 2016 A.D. - becomes a valuable geological learning site. Footprint The arid route to Geosite The fossilized dinosaur footprints site of Tha Uthen was declared Registered the first registered fossil site on the 18th of May 2011. Tha Uthen 2011 A.D. - Coincidence... or Fate? Fossil Act An Act to protect fossils was issued in 2008. dinosaur footprint site For the fossilization of the prints at 2008 A.D. - The miraculous coincidence Footprints uaternar It has been determined that the footprints belong to at least Tha Uthen to occur, not only must the 5 Found Although dinosaur footprints were The 150 million years 2001 A.D. - three distinct prehistoric creatures. geological conditions previously mentioned Sandstone made ubiquitously all over the world for mil- of sediment collection in A sandstone mine at Tha Uthen quarried from the Khok Kruat formation. be met, but a myriad numbers of serendip- Mining lions of years, fossilized prints are so rare, the Khorat Paleo-basin was 1991 A.D. - itous events must also take place. It makes mostly a continuous pro- Isan The ancient topography of the plateau is quite similar to the as in most cases at least one of the five Plateau present one, but without any human disturbance. us wonder whether these footprints where cess. Geological evidence 2.58 Ma - created by chance or perhaps... fate. geological conditions are lacking. Fossilized suggests that at certain Landform The topography of the plateau has been carved by means of prints are found throughout the world, but eogene periods, sedimentation did 23 Ma - Carving physical, chemical and biological factors within the natural If that day.... are much less common compared to fossil- geological processes of erosion and weathering. not take place. If on that day the dinosaurs didn’t ized bones and skeletons. Changing environ- 66 Ma - a eogene Rise up of Khorat plateau & extinction of dinosaurs at the end of Cretaceous roam about on the wet sandy clay beach, or The fossil site at Tha Uthen can be mental conditions which After the sea water flooding episodes ended, under dry conditions, Phu Thok if its pals trampled over the original prints, considered one of most important fossilized directly affect the climate in the red dust is allowed to blanket the entire basin. we would not see them today. turn determine what kind of 95 Ma - print sites in Asia due to the completeness, If on that day, the air was not dry geological process will take condition, and sheer volume of its collection. It enough to evaporate the water in the clay place at a particular time Maha The Khorat Paleo-basin endured repeated floods of sea water is as if Mother Nature purposely gift-wrapped Sarakham under dry conditions leaving behind layers of rock salts and harden the prints, or if the Crocodiles and location. Humidity level, these “prehistoric gems” that took over 100 hundreds of meters thick as a result. and Sauropods erased the prints away with temperature, and amount million years to craft for the world to cherish 113 Ma - their massive tails, we would not see them of rainfall all play a role in and pass on. influencing how much, what At Tha Uthen in the Early-Cretaceous, plenty of prehistoric today. Khok creatures decided to leave their secret marks for us to decode. Presently, most countries worldwide type, and where sediments Kruat If on that day, the perfect type of sed- Fish, turtle and sauropod fossils have been commonly in this iment did not collect at the perfect spot, or if consider geology an important part in education. collect. Consequently, the formation all over Isan region. make-up of sediments in 65 million years ago the Khorat Paleo-basin The increasing public interest makes many Cretaceous 125 Ma - nations want to have a fossil site of their the Khorat basin varies in Phu Phan Fossilized dinosaur footprints have been found in this thick bedded did not rise up to form a plateau, we would type, particle sizes, and conglomeratic sandstone prominent formation. not see them today. own. But unlike other attractions, fossil sites amount according to each Sao Khua Fossilized dinosaur footprints have been found in this If on that day, the Mekong River did cannot be constructed nor imported, but time period. fossil prominent formation. not erode the banks at Nakhon Phanom, only discovered. Even more so the ones like The geological evi- 130 Ma - Fossilized dinosaur footprints have been found in this there would not be any sandstone mines, the Tha Uthen site are so much more un- dence in the Khorat basin Phra Wihan quartz-sandstone prominent formation. and we would not see the footprints today. common as prints are many times less likely can be classified into 9 dif- ferent formations from the This thickest formation in the Khorat Group of sedimentary rocks was to be discovered compared to remains. Phu continuously deposited from the Late-Jurassic to Early-Cretaceous. deepest to the top as fol- 145 Ma - Kradung lows: Huai Hin Lat, Nam Fossilized dinosaur footprints have also been discovered Phong, Phu Kradung, Phra in this formation. Wihan, Sao Khua, Phu Phan, ate urassic Khok Kruat, Maha Sara- The 1 km. thick Nam Phong formation deposited during the Nam kham and Phu Thok. The 200 Ma - Phong Late-Triassic to Late-Jurassic with periodic sedimentation fossilized dinosaur prints is during the Early Jurassic period. merely a small fraction of 208 Ma - Huai the rock type in the Khok Hin Lat The first particle deposited at the bottom of the Khorat Paleo-basin ate Triassic Kruat formation. 227 Ma -
(Ma = Million years) 16 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 17 Tha Uthen Dinosaur Footprint Site
The type of fossilized remains that Thais Forest Park, Changwat Kalasin and the long • The fact that prints from multiple species If the reader has the opportunity to visit are mostly familiar with are the ones belong- stretch of reptilian prints found on sandstone are found on sandstone with a thin layer the site at Tha Uthen, while standing amongst ing to dinosaurs. The first dinosaur fossil was in Amphoe Nam Nao of Changwat Phetchabun. of mudstone indicate that many species the million year old prints, close your eyes discovered in the country in 1976. Since then, The prints at Tha Uthen also garnered share this river basin. and let your imagination roam free. fossilized remains of numerous dinosaur spe- interest from the public especially after it was • Many prints were found on stones with It is the Cretaceous period. You are cies have been excavated in the Northeastern declared Thailand’s first registered fossil site. ripple marks and mud cracks enabling us surrounded by prehistoric dinosaurs of all region. This declaration is a guarantee that whatever to determine the direction of the river’s sizes as the cool breeze foretells the com- Perhaps it was because of their larger one will witness at “the fossilized footprint site current as well as the direction of the ing of winter. The hunters are busy chasing than life and terrifying persona portrayed in of Tha Uthen” will be extraordinary. Let’s take dinosaurs and crocodiles. their preys while the plant eaters are doing the blockbuster “Jurassic Park” that these a look at what makes this site one of a kind • Although the fossilized remains of Ornitho- whatever they need to survive and procreate. gigantic creatures’ fossils have received so • The more than 200 prints at the Tha Uthen mimosaur and prehistoric crocodiles have Suddenly, you hear a big splash in the gentle much extra attention. Subsequent discoveries site is the most numerous and most dense been found in the “Khok Kruat” forma- stream ahead as a crocodile pulls its lunch of fossilized footprints have also garnered ever found in Thailand. tion in many parts of the Isan region, their into the water. You heart races and you want interest from the general public. Notably are • There are about 160 bipedal footprints footprints along with those of the Iguano- to run and hide, but as you open your eyes the giant T-rex footprints found in the Phu Faek and 40 quadrupedal footprints. don can only be found in Tha Uthen. you realize they are no longer there. Where else in the world can one do the same?
100 million years old mud crack casts formed Many preserved dinosaur trackways on sand- Dinosaur footprints on a sandstone bed The trail and the roof are vital to protect by the filling in of fine particles of sand stone beds indicate their habitat and living covered by thin clay layers deposited at the the invaluable footprints of Tha Uthen from in the polygonal cracks. behaviour. end of the rain. possible damage from the rain and sun.
18 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 19 หน้า ๙ ๑๗ มิถุนายน ๒๕๕๔ ราชกิจจานุเบกษา ๖๗ ง ๑๒๘ ตอนพิเศษ เล ่ม ี
ัพยากรธรณ ประกาศกรมทร ์ที่ขึ้นทะเบียน ็นแหล่งซากดึกดําบรรพ ่งซากดึกดําบรรพ์เป เรื่อง ให้แหล ัญญัติคุ้มครองซาก ึ่ง แห่งพระราชบ ์ ๑๔ วรรคหน ุ้มครองซากดึกดําบรรพ ัยอํานาจตามความในมาตรา ์ที่ อาศ ้อ ๒ (๓) แห่งประกาศคณะกรรมการค ็นซากดึกดําบรรพ ์ พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๑ และข ์ที่ขึ้นทะเบียนและเป ดึกดําบรรพ ็นแหล่งซากดึกดําบรรพ ็นชอบของคณะกรรมการ ักเกณฑ์การประกาศเป พยากรธรณี โดยความเห ึกดําบรรพ์ เรื่อง หล อธิบดีกรมทรั ัสประจําแหล่งซากด ียน พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๒ ึกดําบรรพ์ รห ่งรอยตีน ขี้นทะเบ กําหนดให้แหล่งซากด ึกดําบรรพ์ แหล ึกดําบรรพ์ ชื่อแหล่งซากด พนอม คุ้มครองซากด หมู่ที่ ๒ ตําบล Fossils are natural resources that take According to this Act, a “fossil” is a เหมืองหินเก่า THS สถานที่ตั้ง ๘๐๐ ตารางเมตร millions of years to craft. Any particular fossil preserved remains or trace of any prehistoric จังหวัดนครพนม ื้นที่ ๑๒, ไดโนเสาร์ท่าอุเทน นครพนม จํานวนพ that is destroyed cannot be replaced or organism that is found within or has been จังหวัด กค ๘๐๐๙) อําเภอ ท่าอุเทน เมตร (๘ฎ ๓๘๕๙- ้าง ๗๖.๑๓๑ กค ๘๐๔๒) rebuilt within a person’s lifetime. removed from the Earth’s crust. This definition กว เมตร (๑ฎ ๒๘๕๕- ๕๑.๗๗๗ กค ๘๐๔๒) Although Thailand has enjoyed many excludes any man-made archeological sites เมตร (กค ๘๐๐๙- ๒๐๑.๑๒๑ ๑ฎ ๒๘๕๕) decades of fossil discoveries, a new problem and artifacts. ยาว เมตร (๘ฎ ๓๘๕๙- ๒๐๑.๑๑๑ ์กินเนื้อขนาดเล็กพวกเทอโรพอด had arose in the recent years. The illegal ex- While a “Fossil site” is an area where a รอยตีนไดโนเสาร ึกดําบรรพ์ที่ปรากฏ ่าง ลักษณะของซากด ีแดงรองรับอยู่ด้านล cavation of fossils by poachers for personal fossil has been discovered or excavated from. ์กินพืช พวกซอโรพอด มีชั้นหินทรายส / และรอยตีนไดโนเสาร ําบรรพ์ ที่ราบลอนคลื่น ชื่อเจ้าของ/ผู้ครอบครอง gains has led to the destruction of many fossil Section 14 of the Act states that if any ์ของแหล่งซากดึกด กรกฎาคม ๒๕๔๔ สภาพทางภูมิศาสตร ันเดือนปีที่พบ ัพยากรธรณ ี sites. As a result, an Act to protect fossils was fossil site can significantly contribute to the สัตยารักษ์ ว ี่ใช้ประโยชน ์ กรมทร ชื่อผู้ค้นพบ นายนเรศ ที่ราชพัสด ุ หน่วยงานท issued in 2008. study of the Earth’s history, Paleontology, ้วยกฎหมาย ําบรรพ์ที่ขึ้นทะเบียน ผู้มีสิทธิในทดี่ ินโดยชอบด ี้ เป็นแหล่งซากดึกด “The discovery of significant fossils in Paleobiology, or Stratigraphy with the agree- ี่แนบท้ายประกาศน ุเบกษาเป็นต้นไป ตามรูปถ่ายและแผนท ันประกาศในราชกิจจาน Thailand is on the rise and so should its con- ment from the board members of the fos- ทั้งนี้ ตั้งแตว่ ันถดจากวั พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๔ servation. The study of fossils, which can be sil conservation committee shall be declared ณ วันที่ ๑๘ พฤษภาคม ประกาศ ่มุกต์ considered a nation’s heirloom, can enlighten in the Royal Thai Government Gazette as a อดิศักดิ์ ทองไข ัพยากรธรณ ี us on the Earth’s history. Fossil sites also registered fossil site. อธิบดีกรมทร have the potential to become educational and With the authority given by the act tourist sites which can bring many benefits to coupled with the significance of this site, the the nation. However, as there is currently no director general of the Department of Mineral specific law to protect, conserve, or govern Resources has declared the fossilized dinosaur its excavation illegal removals of fossils are on footprints site of Tha Uthen of Changwat the increase. This has led to the loss of many Nakhon Phanom Thailand’s first registered valuable finds and the destruction of numer- fossil site on the 18th of May 2011. ous sites due to improper handling and exca- vation. Laws must be passed to protect and conserve fossils in an efficient manner. Thus the issuance of this Act is a necessity. “
20 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 21 Fossils are natural resources that take millions of years to craft. Any particular fossil that is destroyed cannot be replaced or rebuilt within a person’s lifetime. Although Thailand has enjoyed many decades of fossil discoveries, a new problem had arose in the recent years. The illegal ex- cavation of fossils by poachers for personal gains has led to the destruction of many fossil sites. As a result, an Act to protect fossils was issued in 2008. “The discovery of significant fossils in Thailand is on the rise and so should its con- servation. The study of fossils, which can be considered a nation’s heirloom, can enlighten us on the Earth’s history. Fossil sites also have the potential to become educational and tourist sites which can bring many benefits to the nation. However, as there is currently no specific law to protect, conserve, or govern its excavation illegal removals of fossils are on the increase. This has led to the loss of many valuable finds and the destruction of numer- ous sites due to improper handling and exca- vation. Laws must be passed to protect and conserve fossils in an efficient manner. Thus the issuance of this Act is a necessity. “
22 Decoding the Cretaceous Enigma Decoding the Tha Uthen Enigma 23 Decoding The Tha Uthen Cretaceous Enigma
Because “the value of a fossil site depends on the understanding and appreciation of the people,” we should spread the word and share with others what we have learned today. The more people realize the rarity and magnificence of this site, the better it can be protected and the more valuable it will become to society.
Department of Mineral Resources, 2017