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Digging
Up Dinosaurs
The
seventh section of the exhibition discusses how paleontologists
find fossil sites, how specimens are retrieved, and what
happens back in the laboratory. A replica of an actual
dig site offers visitors the opportunity to try their
hand at hunting for fossils, while a virtual dig recreates
on a large computer screen the stages of fossil discovery.
Scientists
at the Dig Site
[Click image to enlarge] |
At
the Dig Site | At
Ukhaa Tolgod, the team of scientists and field assistants
unloads equipment, pitches the tents and heads for the
dunes to look for fossils. Once a fossil is found, the
team marks it and records its location and bearings using
the Global Positioning System (GPS).
When they find a specimen, researchers gently probe around
it to expose as many bones as possible. Excavators pour
glue on the bones to harden them before the real digging
starts. Excavators remove as much rock as possible from
around a large fossil, leaving only a supporting pedestal
beneath the specimen.
Covering
a fossil with newspapers, the team creates the first layer
of a "jacket" that will protect the specimen during shipping.
A protective jacket's thick second layer is made of plaster-soaked
burlap and cheesecloth. The jacketed fossil is driven
back to camp and crated with as much padding as possible
to insure the specimen survives the long, rough journey
to the Museum.
In
the Laboratory | Back in the lab, Museum preparators
remove the jacketed fossil from its crate and saw open
the protective plaster to reveal the specimen. After it
is studied, the specimen will return to the Mongolian
Academy of Sciences, its permanent home. It takes a steady
hand to remove 80-million-year-old sandstone clinging
to the specimen without harming it. Bit-by-bit, a skilled
preparator uncovers the tiniest of bones, which may reveal
the identity of the animal. Scientists study specimens
using technology ranging from a microscope to 3-D x-rays
called CAT scans. Ultimately, they publish journal articles
to introduce the new specimen to the scientific community.
>
The Desert at Night
> Understanding the Past
> Fossil Preservation in the Gobi
> The Diversity of Life
>
The Fighting Dinosaurs
> Birds: Living Dinosaurs
> The Rise of Mammals
>
Digging Up Dinosaurs
Photos
© AMNH
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