During the course of the 2005 campaign on the paleontological deposit that was characterised by the presence of nothosaurs and placodontia (marine reptiles typical of the Triassic era) the terrain and rocky fragments removed by stream water were studied. A part of the terrain which had formed on the main fossiliferous outcrop was removed; inspection continued on the fan of debris which had formed below the outcrop and was partly stabilised by the vegetation; an examination was made of the area around the outcrop which aimed to establish the probable lateral extension of the fossiliferous section. The site age had previously been identified as lower Carnian on the basis of geological studies of the zone and the stratigraphy of the Dolomites, as well as the presence of the few foraminifers found in the thin sections. Recent data from the area of Dogna showed that in northern Friuli the last substantial unit of carbonaceous shelf before the Dolmia Principale did not reach the Carnian level. Moreover, the stratotype at the base of the Carnian has still not been formally established. The position of the fossiliferous strata of Fusea, situated immediately above the last substantial unit of carbonaceous shelf before the Dolmia Principale and at the base of the sequence of black limestones, usually known as “carnian”, means that they can now be reasonably dated to between the end of the Ladinian time and the beginning of the Carnian time. (MiBAC)

This is one of the most important Italian Triassic fossil deposits. Situated near the village of Fusea (Tolmezzo, Udine), its importance lies in the presence of an abundant and relatively diversified association of fossil vertebrates from the Triassic era, at the limit between the Ladinian and Carnian planes (circa 230 millioin years ago). At the beginning of the 20th century the area was used for coal extraction for industrial use. Fragments of plant fossils were found in the black limestone on the site in 1924 by the Carnian geologist Michele Gortani, however he never described them in a scientific publication. The outcrop was “rediscovered” in the early 1970s, the most important find being the cranium of a placodont reptile, described by Zucchi Stolfa (1975) and later by Pinna & Zucchi Stolfa (1979) and named _Placochelys placodonta_. This find, housed in the Friulan Natural History Museum after many vicissitudes, was examined for a third time and attributed to the genus _Cyamodus_ (Rieppel & Nosotti, 2001). Due to their widely recognised importance the fossil bearing levels are being excavated by the Friulan Natural History Museum. The most common vertebrate fossils are isolated teeth from fish: Chondricthyes Elasmobranchs durophagy (mainly _Paleobates angustissimus_ ) and Osteichthyes Actinopterygii ( _Sphaerodus, Saurichthys_ and other types). The Osteichthyes Sarcopterygii are represented by rare cranial bones of a dipnoi (lunged fish) not yet formally described in a scientific publication. As regards the tetrapods, to date bones and teeth from the reptiles Notosauroides ( _Nothosaurus_ ), Placodont cyamodontoides and _Archosaurus_, and _Tanystropheus_ have been documented. There was also an interesting tooth perhaps attributable to a cynodonte (mammal-like reptiles). Fossils of invertebrates are also present (bivalves, gastropods and ostracods) together with plant remains (including the coal which used to be extracted). The finds come from a stratigraphic section only a few metres thick and the outcrop presents layers of sedimentary rock running parallel to the slope with a great fan of detritus at the bottom. A date within the basal Carnian period (beginning of the Upper Triassic) appears likely, even though to date no fossils of particular bio-stratigraphic importance have been identified.

This important Triassic fossil deposit, situated near Fusea (Tolmezzo, Udine), is of great importance due to the abundant and relatively diversified association of fossil vertebrates of the Triassic era, on the border between the Ladinic and Carnic plains (about 230 million years ago). The material recovered during the excavations in 2010 mainly comprised single, scattered fish teeth (mostly from the primitive shark _Paleobates angustissimus_ and the _attinopterigia_? _Sphaerodus_) preserved on limestone slabs or fragments. Some of the finds were distinguished by their completeness and good state of preservation. Furthermore, the finds of two fish tooth fragments, a small vertebra probably belonging to an _archosaurus_ reptile, a small placodont tooth, teeth fragments from _Nothosaurus_ and other reptiles were of particular interest. Several fragments from unidentifiable reptile bones (probably Saurotterigi), carbonised land plant remains, fragments of bivalve shells and of molluscs in general were also recovered.