Griman Creek Formation, Geological formation in New South Wales, Australia.
The Griman Creek Formation is a layered geological deposit spanning parts of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia, made up of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These rock types sit stacked one over another across a broad area and hold a record of the ancient seafloor that once covered this land.
The formation dates to the middle Cretaceous period, a time when much of what is now inland Australia lay beneath a warm, shallow sea. Sediment slowly settled on the seafloor and over millions of years hardened into the rock layers seen today.
The formation is known locally as the source of some of the rarest fossils found in Australia, many of which are displayed in nearby museums. Visitors can see these specimens in person at regional collections, where they are presented alongside the rock in which they were found.
The best starting point for a visit is one of the regional museums in the surrounding towns of New South Wales, where rock samples and fossils from the formation are on display. For those wanting to see field sites, the drier months of the year generally offer easier access to the open terrain.
Many of the animal fossils found in this formation are made of opal rather than ordinary stone, a rare process that preserved fine body details in place. Among them are remains of early monotremes, a group that today includes only the platypus and the echidna.
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