Collecting
© AMNH
Fieldwork, involving targeting potential fossil-bearing rocks, then prospecting for, excavating, and collecting fossils, is what most people think of when they hear the word paleontology. Popular culture references to expeditionary work and paleontological excavation make it seem exciting and glamorous. It certainly can be thrilling to discover a fossil that has been buried for millions of years, but even if you manage to find a fossil (and they are very rare) excavation is painstaking and physically demanding work.
In the mid-19th century, collectors in the American West would normally gather fossil fragments that were visible on the ground’s surface. The collector would dismount from his horse, look for additional pieces, place them in his saddlebag, and ship them back east with minimal packaging. When they arrived, hundreds of small fragments with little or no accompanying information would have to be laboriously pieced together.
Early Fieldwork
“In the early days of paleontological fieldwork, fossils were picked and pried out of the rock in which they had so long been encased, and the remains, usually in hundreds of small fragments were scooped up into bags to be carted back to the laboratory for tedious assembly.” —Edwin Colbert, 1980
By the early 20th century field techniques had improved. John Bell Hatcher was one of the first paleontologists to develop a systematic collecting process, which recorded the type, position, and orientation of fossils in the field. With the expansion of railroads in the American West, collectors were no longer as reliant on pack animals or wagons for transporting specimens. For more information on early collecting and preparation techniques visit the History page.
The emphasis on field records has steadily increased in importance since Hatcher’s time. For paleontologists, fossil collection often is as much about collecting data as it is about collecting specimens, so the information associated with the specimen can be as significant as the actual fossil.
This data is also vital to the work of the preparator. It can provide information that helps to locate parts of the fossil that are buried deep in the rock and help to reassemble fragmentary specimens. Whenever feasible, involving a trained preparator in the excavation process helps ensure that the steps carried out in the field, such as jacketing the specimen, are done in a way that will assist the work back in the lab.
These Fossil Preparation resources were originally developed in 2007 with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
