Opening up the quarry

Jul 27, 2016

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Opening up the quarryExcavation at our tyrannosaur site (Rainbows and Unicorns) has officially begun/resumed. We have expanded the quarry to the east and south and, lo and behold, we have already uncovered more fossil material, including a complete Neurankylus turtle shell, which measures   1 meter in diameter. Here's to many more discoveries!

Beautifully preserved Neurankylus turtle carapace. The little element in the bottom left corner could be part of a plastron of a different kind of turtle, possibly a Trionychid.

A new tyrannosaur bone...perhaps a process from a vertebra.

Filling cracks with mud to ensure that this fossil-packed block will travel safely once jacketed.

Mike and Ron removing loose soil under supervision of Bruno, our quarry mascot.

There's nothing quite like rigorous exercise in 100 deg F weather.

Process

Christina, Lance, and 17 others like this.

4 comments

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Libby GreerBacker

I call dibs on the turtle shell! LOL!

Jul 27, 20161

cgolichnik@beyondbb.comBacker

After having visited there, I am excited to see more discoveries!

Jul 27, 20161

Larry and Renae SpanneBacker

Looks like fun all right. Will have to visit in the coming weeks. Thanks.

Jul 27, 20161

Christina TranBacker

How did Rainbows and Unicorns get named? :)

Jul 27, 20161

Katja KnollResearcher

Alan Titus, who originally found the site, tends to get veeeeeery excited about some of his discoveries, even if some of those sites turn out to be nothing to write home about. So, at first all were skeptical saying "To Alan all sites are rainbows and unicorns..." In this case it actually is. Bruno, our mascot, is a rainbow-colored unicorn.

Jul 27, 20160

About This Project

Death of a Tyrant: Help us Solve a Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Mystery!

Grand Staircase Escalante Partners

Tyrannosaurs are essential components of Late Cretaceous ecosystems, but are generally rare and poorly known, especially in the southern U.S. We discovered a mass mortality site, including tyrannosaurs in multiple growth stages. What caused this mass mortality? How diverse were southern tyrannosaurs? What can we conclude regarding the social structure of these apex predators? Full excavation of the site and preparation of the fossil material will help us answer these critical questions.