in Articles, Dinosaurs, Fossils, Paleontology

A Dinosaur Dig Scrapbook

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Dinosaur Scrapbook Cover

Recently my daughter and I have been doing some scrapbooking. Below are some photos I made about a week I spent in June,2018 at the creation science dinosaur dig sponsored by Southwestern Adventist University. Some might look familiar since this dig site is featured in some of the video content on the Genesis Science Network (GSN).

Let me show you a glimpse of what it’s like to find dinosaur fossils for yourself!

 

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An international group of volunteers, students and teachers travel to the site in early June.

 

 

By dig standards it's a plush site. The research building has a kitchen, bathroom and showers. (If the water doesn't run out)

 

 

Step 1: Chip off a flake

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Step 2: Carefully remove rock. Step 3: Inspect all sides for fossils

 

 

Everyone wants to know the identity of the fossils they dig up. But sometimes something new shows up (like this fossil) that requires further research to identify. The field is a really bad place to do in-depth research on fragile fossils. So we pack them up for later analysis.

Click to check out the fossil link.

 

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This chevron once protected the spinal cord under the tail of a duckbill dinosaur. Originally this bone was Y shaped with the bottom half of the Y about twice as long as the top. The left side of the Y and the bottom snapped off before burial. This was typical of bones found at this site. Only the largest bones were immune from the violent burial.

 

 

Right: Small piece of the duckbill. Left: Fragment of an ilium (hip bone). Bottom: Toe bone excavated by a good friend of mine. The gloves are full size men's gloves. this was a good sized foot. (3 toes of course)

 

 

Top: Small bones. Left: Nanotyrannus tooth. Note wear at the end. The enamel is stained brown, but is original material. Bottom: Duckbill tooth (Approximately real size). Small teeth are easy to lose; this one was lots. :-(

 

 

June in the Wyoming prairie has much more to offer than just dinosaur bones. With enough rainfall the flowers can be stunning. Plus a lizard close up

 

 

Yucca, prickly pear, and flakes from making weapons or tools in ancient times

 

For more information about being part of the dig please visit: Dinosaur Project, Southwest Adventist University.edu

Jeff Staddon is fine with these photos being in the public domain.

Written by Jeff Staddon

Academically I hold a master's degree in software engineering with an undergraduate degree in history. I make my living as a software developer.

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