The fossil-filled volcanic crater Foulden Maar was almost destroyed. A new book documents its ancient-ecosystem wonders
Located an hour’s drive from the city of Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island, Foulden Maar has become one of the world’s most significant but troubled fossil sites. This shallow-sided volcanic crater lake was formed in a violent explosion 23 million years ago—the start of the Miocene epoch, when the climate in this part of the world was much warmer and wetter than it is now.
Most frequently of all, they found leaves—so delicately pressed that climate scientists could analyze their structure and chemical composition to discover that atmospheric carbon dioxide in the early Miocene reached 550 parts per million, levels similar to those predicted for Earth by 2050. Though public pressure played a role in Plaman Resources abandoning its mining plans, and the company became insolvent later in 2019, Foulden Maar still has no formal protection. For three years, the Dunedin City Council—which says it hopes to buy the site and save it for science—has been locked in negotiations with the company appointed to manage Plaman’s business affairs, called its receiver. Neither party would comment to the Scientific American on the progress of those discussions.
The other thing about Foulden is that we’ve got two ecosystems preserved. It was a very small lake, maybe a couple of hundreds of meters deep and a kilometer across. But because of the way the diatomite sediment built up on the floor, everything that lived in the lake and fell to the bottom is pickled [preserved in liquid] there.
Tell me about some of the spectacular fossils that have been found at the site over the years. There have been orchids, bird poop, dragonflies, ants. What else was discovered? You’ve said in the past that your dream for Foulden Maar is a kind of geopark or World Heritage Site where children and students can learn about geology, fossils and Earth’s climate history. Do you think this is something you’ll see in your lifetime?
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