In the shadow of Burj Khalifa, the world's highest super-tall skyscraper, a popular eyecatcher from a different time and age can be found. Enter the Dubai Mall and meet its Jurassic resident, "Sleeping Beauty", a dinosaur colloquially referred to as the "Dubai Dino".
Type of Earthcache: Mineralogy / Paleontology, fossilization.
About the Dubai Dino
This fossil represents a female adult Diplodocus Longus of about 25 years of age, measuring 24.4 metres (90 feet) in length and 7.6 metres (25 feet) in height. This dinosaur was a massive sauropod, as heavy as five elephants, with a long tail and neck. Nearly all 360 bones of this sauropod were discovered unscathed at its excavation site. As it was discovered in a sleeping position, it was given the name "Sleeping Beauty". She was renamed "Dubai Dino" after an online naming-competition.
Its tail could have served a defensive purpose, being wielded like a whip. The vertebrae towards the end of the tail have a much more robust appearance with a distinctive backward hook. These would have added additional weight and strength to the tail and may have helped to create a serrated edge along the tail, enhancing the flesh cutting ability of the tail during its use.1 Its tail bones, though, were detected broken, which were either caused by a trauma from a fight, or a ferocious bite from a large prey. As a result, paleontologists were forced to replace some of the bones that were missing from the fossil's tail. Still, with over 90% authentic fossil bones, it is currently the most complete skeleton of this specific sauropod in the world today. This makes the Dubai Dino a very rare specimen, as prior to its discovery, the most genuine remains of this sauropod only had 30% of its original bones.
Sleeping beauty, also known as the Dubai Dino.
Where was it discovered?
Discovered in 2008, this particular dinosaur was unearthed at the Dana Quarry, at the western edge of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, USA. The Dana Quarry, a fertile source of dinosaur fossils, is situated at the Morrison Formation, which represents a sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock dating back approximately 150 million years ago. Comprising mudstone, sandstone, siltstone, and limestone, the Morrison Formation exhibits colors ranging from light gray to greenish gray or red.1
The Dana Quarry was a natural trap, where herbivorous species—mostly sauropods—perished together in a shrinking water hole, possibly during a drought. The weak and dying were caught in the mud long enough to attract the attention of predators, which, in turn, became trapped while feeding on ostensible "easy pickings".2
The fossil before you was previously displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and was sourced for Dubai Mall through Khalid Seddiq, the founder of Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi. It has been on display in Dubai since 10 March 2014.
A rendering of how a Diplodocus Longus might have looked like.
What is a fossil?
Fossils are the preserved remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sediments, such as sand and mud, under ancient seas, lakes and rivers. Fossils also include any preserved trace of life that is typically more than 10 000 years old. Preserved evidence of the body parts of ancient animals, plants and other life forms are called 'body fossils'. 'Trace fossils' are the evidence left by organisms in sediment, such as footprints, burrows and plant roots.3
How fossils are formed.
Body fossils were parts of the organism, such as bones or teeth. Trace fossils are all other types of fossils, including foot impressions, burrows, and even dung.4 There are four main ways of describing fossil preservation: petrification, compression, moulds and casts, and preserved remains.5
Petrification is a process of fossilization in which dissolved minerals replace organic matter. When an animal is buried by sediment, such as sand or silt, shortly after it dies, its bones are protected from rotting. As its body decomposes, all the fleshy parts wear away and only the hard parts, like bones, teeth, and horns, are left behind. Over millions of years, water in the nearby rocks surrounds these hard parts, and minerals in the water replace them, bit by bit.6
Silicates, iron oxides, metal sulfides, native elements, carbonates, and sulfates can be involved in permineralization7. Colour is provided by traces of copper, iron and other minerals, while pure silica is colourless. Eventually, minerals completely replace the organic material and the remains are literally turned into stone or 'petrified'.
Visiting the Dubai Dino.
The Dubai Dino is a permanent fixture, available for viewing all year round. What's great about this is that the exhibit is free! Note that official opening hours of the Dubai Mall are 10:00 to 0:00, however, you might be allowed to enter the mall and visit the dino as early as 7am.
How to claim this EarthCache?
Send me the following;
1. The text "GCAJNW2 Sleeping Beauty (Dubai Dino)" on the first line.
2. The answers to the following questions;
- Observe the Dubai Dino fossil, are you looking at old bones, or actual rock?
- Do you consider the fossil of the Dubai Dino body fossils or trace fossils?
- Take a closer look at the fossilised bone on display in the base on which the Dubai Dino stands. The careful observer can spot one specific location that clearly shows evidence of the fossilization process. Where and what is it, describe what you see.
3. Take a selfie (optional) and/or a photo of a thumbs-up, peace-symbol (V) or personal item, clearly showing the Dubai Dino in the back, and attach it to your log.*
References
1 Fossilera.com, Dinosaur bones (Retrieved 02/2024)
2 Maxilla & Mandible, Dinosauria International (Original 03/2019, retrieved via Archive.org 02/2024).
4 American Museum of Natural History, 3/5 British Geological Survey, Fossils and geological time (Retrieved 02/2024).
6 American Museum of Natural History, Dinosaur bones (Retrieved 02/2024)
7 Modes of Fossil Preservation, Schopf J.M. (1975), Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol 20: pp. 27-53.
* Effective immediately from 10 June 2019, photo requirements are permitted on EarthCaches. This task is not optional, it is an addition to existing logging tasks! Logs that do not meet all requirements posed will no longer be accepted.
For additional information, visit; Geosociety.org, Geocaching.com Help Center and Geocaching.com Forum.
Finding the answers to an EarthCache can often be challenging, and many people tend to shy away from these caches because of this. However, it is my opinion that geocaching is also meant to be a fun family experience that simply aims to introduce interesting and unique locations such as this one. Flexibility on logging requirements, however, can only be applied if it can be established that you have actually taken the time to visit the site. For this reason, a proper log describing your adventure accompanied by a good number of photos would be much appreciated.