Today I had fun, and learned a great deal about the techniques with which paleontologists locate and excavate dinosaur fossils. This is because today I visited a 7640-acre ranch near Lusk, Wyoming. While there, we were able to excavate in various Upper Cretaceous Period sites within the Lance (Hell Creek) Formation. It was at the first of these locations where Jessica Bowling and I discovered a Hadrosaur toe bone, and uncovered various other fragments of fossilized dinosaur bone with the help of J. P. Cavigelli, a scientist who works with the Tate Museum at Casper College. These fossils had to be meticulously uncovered as they were extremely delicate, crumbling within my hand if not handled correctly. This is thought to be because of the iron/sulfur rich material they were located in. This unique chemistry may aid in the decomposition of the bone as the iron sulphide within this material reacts with oxygen and/or water creating sulphuric acid. All in all it was fascinating and fun, as I’ve wanted to dig for dinosaur fossils since I was a small child.
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