Rock samples up to 30mn-year-old have been unearthed under one of the Qatar 2022 World Cup stadiums, the The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) said yesterday.
The “Dukhan rock” was found during construction of the 40,000-capacity Qatar Foundation Stadium, which is set to host matches up to the quarter-final stage in six years’ time. Officials have called it an “extraordinary find”.
“As we dug down deeper on site, we came across interesting and distinct colour bandings on the rock formations,” said SC’s Competition Venues project manager Eid al-Qahtani .
Samples were then taken of the rock, which dated it back to approximately up to 30mn years ago.
“We discovered that the rocks in question originated under water, forming a layer known as the middle-Eocene epoch. This is an extraordinary find,” he added.
“We decided to conduct further research into the ‘Dukhan rock’ which has been identified by a site investigation and geotechnical study.”
Excavation at the site reached 17m  in depth.
Some eight stadiums will be used for the competition in Qatar, including the Qatar Foundation Stadium.