In the classic black and white pH๏τo above, we see a group of archaeologists and geologists excavating giant footprints preserved in sedimentary rock. This scene can immediately remind viewers of the distant past – the period when dinosaurs still dominated the Earth, tens of millions of years ago. This trace belongs to the Jurᴀssic or Cretaceous period, which is about 145 to 66 million years ago, when many giant dinosaurs moved on swamps or river plains, leaving permanent marks in the soft mud, then gradually fossilized over millions of geological years.

The discovery of fossilized dinosaur footprints is not simply evidence of the existence of giant prehistoric animals, but also has great scientific significance. Since the mid-19th century, paleontologists have been interested in finding and studying footprints, because they provide information that fossil bones cannot: movement behavior, walking speed, actual body size, herd behavior, and even interactions between species.

In the pH๏τo, we can clearly see the footprints lined up, running along the surface of the rock layer that has been exposed thanks to the careful excavation process. Researchers use ropes, measuring rods, and archaeological tools to locate and record each print precisely. Some footprints are so large that an adult could stand inside them – a testament to the giants of the dinosaurs that once walked this land.

The age of the footprints is often determined through stratigraphy and radiometric dating. By analyzing the sedimentary rock layer containing the prints, scientists can know when the footprints were formed. Many famous tracks have been determined to be about 100 million years old, for example in Glen Rose, Texas (USA), where people found dozens of meters of sauropod and theropod tracks. The scene in this pH๏τo is reminiscent of the excavation work at the Paluxy River in the 1930s, when giant dinosaurs left footprints in the mud along the river.

What is special about these footprints is the authenticity and vividness of the past. While fossil bones are only fragments, footprints are like a “pH๏τo” directly recording the real moment when the animal walked. That is why paleontologists call them ichnofossils (trace fossils). The study of ichnofossils has opened up an important sub-discipline of paleontology, called ichnology (the study of traces of living things).

In addition to the scientific significance, the discovery of dinosaur footprints also has cultural and social value. In many places, indigenous people considered it evidence of the existence of legendary “giants” or “gods”. Before modern science explained the phenomenon, these prints were the center of many myths and rituals. When science proved that they were dinosaur footprints, they became a source of local pride, attracted tourists, and contributed to the dissemination of knowledge about evolution and Earth history.

In the pH๏τo, we also see the carefulness and scale of 20th-century archaeological work. The 1930s – 1950s were a period of explosive paleontological discoveries in North America. Scientists, engineers, and workers worked together to bring the footprints to museums, preserve them, and display them to the public. This was also the period when Hollywood movies began to exploit the image of dinosaurs (like the 1933 film King Kong), creating a strong appeal to the mᴀsses, making excavations like this one a widely reported event.

Today, such dinosaur footprints continue to be excavated and studied. Modern technology, such as 3D scanning and computer motion simulation, has helped scientists better understand how dinosaurs moved. Thanks to that, we can reconstruct not only their appearance but also their daily lives, from hunting, running, to the social behavior of the whole herd.

In short, the above pH๏τo is not only a rare documentary moment of archaeology, but also a window into the past 100 million years ago of Earth. Those footprints are the message that nature sends to posterity – proof of a forgotten world where giant creatures walked freely on this planet.