Do you know that one of the oldest rocks in the Philippines was formed at the same time the dinosaurs were roaming our planet?
At that time, Philippines was still submerged underwater, hence the absence of dinosaur fossils in our country. In today’”s Dignayan Biyernes”of the National Museum of the Philippines, let us learn about these rocks known as the “Jurassic sandstone.”
The Jurassic sandstone belongs to the Mansalay formation which forms the basement of the southwestern part of Mindoro Island. It is essentially a sandstone unit that hosts different types of fossils of broken and disarticulated bivalve shells, belemnite fragments and ammonites.
Scientists were able to determine that it was formed sometime between 201 to 145 million years ago, also known as the Jurassic period through the presence of ammonite fossils. That is the reason it is called the Jurassic sandstone.
If you want to see this ancient specimen along with other interesting collections, give National Museum a visit once it is safe for us to go out again. But for now, enjoy its Museum From Home series.
Source: Text and image by the NMP Geology and Paleontology Division | National Museum of the Philippines (2021)
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