NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam's alleys reveal an ancient tropical ocean life, petrified in cobblestones

Record ID: 718836

  • Title: NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam's alleys reveal an ancient tropical ocean life, petrified in cobblestones
  • Date: 27th April 2007
  • Summary: (L!3) AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS (APRIL 19, 2007) (REUTERS) COBBLESTONES WITH BRACHIOPOD FOSSILS IN FRONT OF A FLOWER SHOP CORAL FOSSILS ON THE CANAL CLOSEUP OF BRACHIOPOD FOSSILS COBBLESTONE WITH FOSSILS AND LEGS PASSING BY ANNEMIEKE VAN ROEKEL SHOWING FOSSILS ON THE PAVEMENT SIDEWALK FOSSILS WITH HUMAN SHADOWS PASSING BY SEA LILLY FOSSIL (SOUNDBITE) (English), ANNEMIEKE VAN ROEKEL, SCIENCE WRITER, SAYING: "They originate from a very shallow tropical sea which was covering the north-wester part of Europe 300 million years ago in the period of early Carbon, but at that time, which I find very interesting, is that Holland and this area was not here, but this piece of continent was near the equator, that's why it was a tropical sea." FOSSIL OF BRACHIOPOD NEXT TO A GRAFFITI ANNEMIEKE'S FEET AND CRINOID FOSSILS (SOUNDBITE) (English), ANNEMIEKE VAN ROEKEL, SCIENCE WRITER, SAYING: "What we see here is the cross-sections through the shells, you know, when they died, they were sort of buried in the mud, in the lime mud and clay. That's how the stone developed, really, so we see here the history of the Earth on the streets of Amsterdam, that's always very nice." PAN THROUGH STREET FOSSILS FOSSIL OF A MICHELINIA CORAL ANNEMIEKE VAN ROEKEL SHOWING A CORAL FOSSIL ON THE STAIRCASE OF AN OLD CANAL HOUSE ANNEMIEKE WALKS AWAY OVER THE BRIDGE WITH CANAL HOUSES
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Netherlands
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Topics: Science / Technology,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVA66703BQMX2YFBZP0I59PVUTX2
  • Story Text: Imagine there is a vast sea reaching from Newfoundland down to Ireland in the west, extending all the way to Russia in the east. The sea is shallow, tropical warm and is abundant with sea lilies, corals, snails and shellfish. This was northern Europe some 350 million years ago. Back then, "Europe" was situated in the tropical regions near the equator and belonged to one landmass with North America. Only millions years later Europe has drifted north-east and settled at a latitude of 52 degrees North and 5 degrees East, where it remains today.
    Alleys and streets in the city centre of Amsterdam are covered with natural limestone from Belgium and Ireland, stone that originates from this shallow tropical sea and contains amazing fossils, the only remains of that ancient marine life.
    Nobody was aware of the fossils until Annemieke Van Roekel, science writer from Amsterdam, decided to write a book, marking a "two-hour geological discovery walk" that can easily be combined with any type of sightseeing, since there are more fossils on the streets than tourist sights.
    "What we see here is the cross-sections through the shells, you know, when they died, they were sort of buried in the mud and clay. That's how the stone developed, really, so we see here the history of the Earth on the streets of Amsterdam, " Van Roekel said to Reuters.
    Instead of traditional bricks, rich merchants in Dutch Golden Age of seventeen century A.D. started to use Belgian limestone for their houses to show off their wealth. Petrified in the limestone, the first fossils arrived to Amsterdam and are still visible on the staircases and facades of 17th century canal houses. In the last decade of 20th century, city authorities have revitalised the old city centre by changing older concrete cobblestones for the new ones - made of natural limestone from Ireland. Belgian limestone contains mostly corals and sea lilies, while Irish one is abundant with Brachiopods, but all these creatures died in the same mud on the bottom of that vast shallow sea, providing us with a glimpse of life from times unknown.
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