Ancient Eromanga Sea, covering most of South Australia to be, in the Cretaceous period of 144-56 million years ago
The ancient Eromanga Sea covering most of later South Australia and the continent during the Cretaceous period.
What became South Australia was mainly under a great inland sea stretched over one quarter of the yet to emerge full Australian continent during the Cretaceous period (144 to 65 million years ago). The ancient inland sea inhabited by large underwater creatures and brimming with sea life.
“Australia looked like an archipelago with land down the east and west,” Adelaide science writer Danielle Clode told news.com.au. “The sea was dominated by marine reptiles, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, Loch Ness monster-type creatures, things that look like dolphins, only much bigger.” The northern coast was warm, while the water was near freezing on the southern coasts, crusted by ice.
Shark and turtles swam in ammonite-filled waters, alongside amphibians similar to the modern-day Chinese giant salamander. Winged pterosaurs soared overhead and the koolasuchus, an ancestor of the crocodile, crawled through the cooler southern climes. Lagoons were edged by forests filled with the unfamiliar conifers, ferns, pines and ancient ginkgo trees that were then Australia’s native flora. Fossils from Cretaceous period continued to be regularly discovered.
Convinced there was a large inland ocean to find, British explorer Charles Sturt left Adelaide in 1844 with a team of 17 men, 11 horses, 30 bullocks, 200 sheep – and a whaleboat. Overcome by the effects of dehydration and malnutrition, the team decided to return to South Australia. They arrived back in Adelaide in January 1846. Sturt had reached within 240 kilometres of Australia’s central region and he had unknowing found the location of the inland ocean but about 120 million years too late.
