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Spring Dinosaur Trip to South Dakota


Troodon

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My Spring trip this year was quite a challenge.   Last year we had oppressive heat, it was extremely dry with high winds.  This year it was rain, rain and more rain and cool.   The ranchers however are in heaven with pastures that are green, green and green.  Hopefully it continues for them through the summer.   So, we had a few rainout days, lots of drizzle and had to deal with gumbo feet, slippery cliffs and wet bones and matrix.  Not the best of conditions for collecting and the group's results showed that.   

 

On the downside the day we departed Belle Fouche, where we stay, a very bad storm hit with tennis size hail, 70mph winds and lots of flooding.  Unfortunately, there was lots of damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and roadways.   Lots of work getting that community back to normal.

 

 

I'll start with the down days.  Visited the BHI to dropoff some specimens. Pete Larsen is currently doing a study on the number of Leptoceratops that exist in the HC formation and wanted to see my maxillae to cast and study.   He showed us skull elements that pointed too two distinct species.

 

These are most likely associated since they came from the same deposit.

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Pete showed us a beautiful replica, that he recently acquired, of Raptorex which is a dubious dinosaur.  It's actually a juvie Tarbosaurus.   BTW the juvie bones are identical to an adult one.   Hmm Trex and Tarbo are very closely related...so does that mean that juvie T rex bones would be similar to that of an adult. :)

 

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A new Stan replica was getting ready to be put together  

 

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A visit to the Carter County museum is a must on a rainy day

 

Their Anatotitan Dinosaur - actually an old Edmontosaurus 

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Triceratops

 

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T rex

 

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Nanotyrannus Jane

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Here are some quick photos of my Edmontosaurus annectens finds that have not been posted from my 2021 trips

 

Juvenile Tibia 35 inches long

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Juvenile Humerus - 22 inches long

 

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Juvenile Radius - 20 inches long

 

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Rib - 19 inches long

 

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Juvenile Maxilla - 14 inches long

 

 

 

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These are the vehicles we take to the site.  4 wheel drive is the only way with some of the areas we have to cross and especially with a wet prairie 

 

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Chevron  - proximal end

Two Proximal ends poking out

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You need to undercut and pedestal the bone, all around, before its jacketed

 

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I leave the matrix in the proximal Y end to provide support 

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Looks great after flipping it

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Edmontosaurus skull element a quadrate

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Ready for prep.

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Big Juvie Center Digit III-1

 

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Very stable bone just popped out - only used Aluminum foil.

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A few Edmonto teeth

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Projects

 

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Spine

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TBD -ankle bone?

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Tendon

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I have to ask as I'm curious. How much aluminum foil do you all go through?  I'm guessing its a very hot seller in the area.

*Frank*

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14 minutes ago, FB003 said:

I have to ask as I'm curious. How much aluminum foil do you all go through?  I'm guessing its a very hot seller in the area.

 

Ha ha always buy it at home its cheaper but yes it must be a hot local seller.  I bring a 130 ft roll of heavy duty foil and it typically last me for the trip.  Plaster of Paris wraps and 25 # bags are more typical of what you run short and hard to find locally.

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I imagine you have to drive up right?  Can't imagine the shipping to ship this stuff back to AZ if you flew.

*Frank*

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The big bones even though they are in jackets have to be driven home.   The smaller bones if in jackets can be shipped.  One person with us that flies came up with packaging that he used USPS.  He also has a large cooler that is checked as air baggage, it works for him.   I drop the bones I do not want to deal with at a prep person in Hill City.   My truck if full on the way home.

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Great stuff, troodon.

 

not to hijack the thread but here is a funny “how much aluminim foil “ tale.  When i was organizing our t rex dig i sent a couple of students out for aluminum foil.  I told them to buy the store out.  Now, i am one of those who do not like to support the big box stores so i assumed that at the grocery store there would be a dozen rolls of aluminum foil.  You guessed it, they went to wally world and came back with a pallet load of aluminum foil.  Over a thousand dollars worth!  I made them return most of it.

 

now back to your regularly dcheduled program.

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52 minutes ago, jpc said:

You guessed it, they went to wally world and came back with a pallet load of aluminum foil.  Over a thousand dollars worth!  I made them return most of i

:default_rofl:  Love it, classic memory.

 

 

37 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

Frank- great finds and report. How long is then tendon (Last photo)?

Its about 8" long but they rarely survive being taken out in one piece.  Very lucky, most break and have to be glued.

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Great report.  I cant wait to get out this year.  I'm guessing you dont have to drive across any bentonite for your site?  Thats what normally shuts down Walter's sites.  Too much rain and you cant get through it.

"There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin

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14 hours ago, hadrosauridae said:

Great report.  I cant wait to get out this year.  I'm guessing you dont have to drive across any bentonite for your site?  Thats what normally shuts down Walter's sites.  Too much rain and you cant get through it.

Thanks.

BTW Walter had some damage to his house and vehicles from the storm.

We have a big area just below the butte where we collect that is bentonite which cannot be crossed when very wet.  Our solution is to park the trucks on the prairie and hike to the site with our collecting gear about 20 min, not fun.   Needed to do that once this trip.  Typically dries up enough in the afternoon that you can get the trucks to the site and retrieve the bones :D

 

Red is where we park and walked close to the fence line up a pretty steep rise up to the top of the butte hang a right and hoof it for a while.

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13 hours ago, Troodon said:

Thanks.

BTW Walter had some damage to his house and vehicles from the storm.

We have a big area just below the butte where we collect that is bentonite which cannot be crossed when very wet.  Our solution is to park the trucks on the prairie and hike to the site with our collecting gear about 20 min, not fun.   Needed to do that once this trip.  Typically dries up enough in the afternoon that you can get the trucks to the site and retrieve the bones :D

 

Red is where we park and walked close to the fence line up a pretty steep rise up to the top of the butte 

 

 

 

Dang, thats a pretty good hike!

 

Yeah, Walter lost 2 trucks and the glass in his shop, water damage inside, it wasnt pretty.  The first time I'm glad I wasnt in BF at the start of dig season.

"There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin

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30 minutes ago, hadrosauridae said:

 

Dang, thats a pretty good hike!

 

Yeah, Walter lost 2 trucks and the glass in his shop, water damage inside, it wasnt pretty.  The first time I'm glad I wasnt in BF at the start of dig season.

He was fortunate he and his new truck were in Spearfish.  His inturns also incured significant Truck damage.   Bad afternoons in BF and not a way to start a season.  I ran into him earlier in the week at the supermarket and he was all excited to start the season.

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