Construction workers in Plano unearthed ancient marine fossils from a time when the city was under the sea.
Crews found the fossils while working on the future Plano police substation at McDermott Road and Robinson Road.
Steve Stoler, with the city of Plano, said crews only dug about seven feet into the ground before they found the fossils in a single 50-pound rock.
"I don't know how many people realize this: in ancient times, this was an ocean. When you dig into the limestone shelf, it's not uncommon to find sea creatures and sea shells," Stoler said.
"At the time these rocks were deposited, about 85 million years ago, Plano was submerged under a large inland sea," said Mike Polcyn, director of the Earth Sciences Lab at SMU in Dallas.
"The fossils you see are marine pteriomorphian bivalves, related to modern oysters. In some places you can even find fossil pearls associated with these bivalves," Polcyn said.
Earlier this year, a Wylie family discovered a fossil that helped reveal new elements of an ancient sea creature's limbs.
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"You fantasize and you think back to ancient history and what this area used to be like. I would like to own ocean-front property -- that was my one chance and I lost it," Stoler joked.
