Thursday 8 December 2011

Event - Ancient fossil is star of exhibition (Creswell Crags)

HISTORIC Cresswell Crags is hosting a ‘groundbreaking’ new temporary exhibition this spring – focusing on a giant prehistoric dragonfly discovered nearby.

The specimen was found underground at the old Bolsover Colliery more than 30 years ago and is being loaned for display at the crags by the Natural History Museum.

Known locally as ‘The Beast of Bolsover’ the dragonfly had a wingspan of over 20cm and belongs to the now-extinct variety of dragonflies known as ‘Protodonata.’

The fossil dates back to the Carboniferous Period and would have been flying around 300 million years ago.

For the first time in over 20 years, this nationally important geological specimen returns to the region and is being celebrated in a series of events and exhibitions at Creswell Crags.

In 1978, two miners working in Bolsover’s Colliery discovered a fossil of the oldest dragonfly known in the United Kingdom. Creswell Crags are now looking for people to come forward with any information to help tell the story of its discovery in an exhibition that will launch in April.

Contact Cresswell Crags project officer, Rebecca Clay, by calling 01909 720378 or emailing Rebecca.clay@creswell-crags.org.uk.

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