Excavation, conservation, and preservation of the Mt Gambier underwater fossil deposits
Dublin Core
Title
Excavation, conservation, and preservation of the Mt Gambier underwater fossil deposits
Description
This paper will examine the history of underwater fossil research in the Mt Gambier region, Australia, focusing
on ongoing efforts to study, conserve, and protect underwater resources found in the freshwater sinkholes and
limestone caves of the region; as such, the topic of this abstract fits best within the session The Archaeology of
Submerged Landscapes and Inland Waters because it is concerned with cave sites that have become flooded. I
will describe the considerable past efforts that were undertaken to extract fossils from Green Waterhole, as well
as recently successful efforts to have this site registered as a South Australian Heritage Listed site, ensuring
legislated protection for the cave and its deposits into the future. In addition, a new research program funded by
the Australian Research Council and in collaboration with the Cave Divers Association of Australia and the
South Australian Museum will be presented. The new work includes efforts to successfully recover fossils with
as much contextual information as possible, especially geochronological and environmental data. Using these
data, we expect to determine the geological age of the extinct megafauna recovered from the sites and the
environments they inhabited; data critical for determining the degree to which humans or environmental change
contributed to their demise. We will also evaluate the impact of such research on the preservation of the caves,
ongoing efforts to conserve the geoheritage potential of the sites, and means of educating the public on the
unique underwater resources they represent.
on ongoing efforts to study, conserve, and protect underwater resources found in the freshwater sinkholes and
limestone caves of the region; as such, the topic of this abstract fits best within the session The Archaeology of
Submerged Landscapes and Inland Waters because it is concerned with cave sites that have become flooded. I
will describe the considerable past efforts that were undertaken to extract fossils from Green Waterhole, as well
as recently successful efforts to have this site registered as a South Australian Heritage Listed site, ensuring
legislated protection for the cave and its deposits into the future. In addition, a new research program funded by
the Australian Research Council and in collaboration with the Cave Divers Association of Australia and the
South Australian Museum will be presented. The new work includes efforts to successfully recover fossils with
as much contextual information as possible, especially geochronological and environmental data. Using these
data, we expect to determine the geological age of the extinct megafauna recovered from the sites and the
environments they inhabited; data critical for determining the degree to which humans or environmental change
contributed to their demise. We will also evaluate the impact of such research on the preservation of the caves,
ongoing efforts to conserve the geoheritage potential of the sites, and means of educating the public on the
unique underwater resources they represent.
Creator
Julien Louys
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Louys, Julien . 2023. “Excavation, conservation, and preservation of the Mt Gambier underwater fossil deposits.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Jennifer McKinnon. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1993
Files
Citation
Julien Louys, “Excavation, conservation, and preservation of the Mt Gambier underwater fossil deposits,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1993.