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My Dino Dig Trip


Troodon

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It's September and a great time to go out in the badlands of Montana and South Dakota hunting for Dinosaurs.   I try to go out at least twice a year unfortunately family health issues prevented me from a earlier trip so I was happy to be able to go on this one.

My South Dakota site is in the upper Hell Creek Formation and full of the hadrosaur Edmontosaurus annectens plus the occasional theropod tooth.   All of the bones collected come from this site however some of the teeth I show come from a channel deposit in Montana.   I've been collecting this site for 20 years and its still delivering.  We are on the edge of a bluff and the fossil layer can be between 2 to 4 feet.   Lots of good bones are to be found but we also have lots of punky or junk bones and about 70 % is collectible.   The site is quite large and like I said last year we have no idea of its size but it contains scores of hadrosaurs all disarticulated.   No skulls are found but all the elements that make up a skull are collected.

 

Some pictures of the site and locality

The collecting area is between the white lines

 

Site1.jpg

 

Site1D.jpgSiteb.jpg

Site1b.jpg

 

My tools are pretty simple and those shown are used 90% of the time.  I also use a pick.   We have no equipment to remove the overburden so its our biggest challenge and can be quite daunting for those not physically in shape, like most of us :ighappy:   The collecting layer starts off with a crumbly pebble deposit where the teeth are found then turns into sand where little is found and most of the bones are in the lower hard clay deposit. 

 

tools1.jpg

 

Most of the bones fracture when exposed to air so glue may be necessary to keep them together during extraction.  I use two Paleobond products :  PB4417 which is a field consolidant and comes off easily during prep but does not have structural strength.   PB002 is used when I need strength on larger bones.  

 

I also carry a debonder just in case I glue my fingers together or as in this trip a fellow collector glued his glove to his hand.  Glue can be dangerous since it cures quickly. Its more a safety issue but sometimes needed on bones/teeth in the field.   I found this product "Golden West Super Solvent" used in the prep lab of the Royal Tyrrell Museum.  Its effective has acetone but had no odor or effects on the skin and is not flammable or volatile.   Its more costly than acetone but for the amount I use it works and no smell.

 

Solvent.jpg  

 

In addition to showing everyone what I found I would also like to share the process of extracting some of the bones.   Very few get to collect in this formation so it might be interesting to see the process and how hard it is to get from the Dirt to the Finished product.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I find lots of caudal vertebrae while digging.   Its always good to know the anatomy of one it makes for a happier ending  :D instead of putting your knife through the spines of one :o.  For example:

Here is a centrum that I uncovered.  Knowing where the spines is the next step.   The clue here seeing the attachment surface for the chevron "C" .  So if that's the bottom of the vertebra the spines and on the opposite side "S" .  Like all bones we dig around them and down to pedestal them and then we can easily remove them.  The bone can easily stay attached to the matrix if you don't and that would be a bummer :angry:

 

Vert2.jpg

Vert2a.jpgVert2b.jpgVert2c.jpg

 

The distal spines are very fragile and often break.   I collected this with the spine off and centrum in aluminum foil.   No reason to attach the two in the field just makes prepping harder.

 

Vertebra 2 same story, where are the spines? In this position you are looking directly into the centrum.  The clue here is that you can see the ventral side, bottom, of the vert being flatter so the spines are in the opposite side.

Vert1.jpg

 

Extraction process is the same.  Unfortunately did one did not have a distal spine attached to it, missing in action :o

Vert1b.jpg

 

Vert1a.jpg

 

Vertebra 3 is a tiny one 1 inch across from a juvie..  Its best just left in the matrix so I harden it with glue and extract the block.

Vert3a.jpg

 

Vert 4.  Sometimes they just pop out like this one.  Its all there with one of the spines needing to be reattached.  Its a odd vert and may be pathological since the centrum is offset.

Vert5b.jpgVert5c.jpg

 

Vertebra 5,   Here is one 4" across missing the distal spine.

Vert4.jpg

 

Centrums are common here is an assortment of finds including finger "carpal" (lower left) and toe bone (lower right)  Big vert is 4" across.

Assorted1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Leg bones are common and in this trip collected two tibia's both quite long about 3 feet.

The process is typical expose the bone, pedestal it, wrap it in aluminum foil and then jacket it to make transporting it easier. In the hard clay takes around 3 hours to get one out.

 

On this one the front end was very solid and I removed it to make jacking easier.  

Tib1.jpgTib1a.jpgTib1b.jpg

I use tools to flip the bone to minimize any possibility of the bone sticking to the matrix

Tib1c.jpg

Perfect all we have is matrix chunks visible.

Tib1d.jpg

 

Second tibia

Tib2.jpgTib2a.jpgTib2b.jpg

 

I was happy to be able to find a couple of foot ungals which are not common .  The first one is 4 inches long.

You can first see what is exposed and I have no clue what it is.  Very happy to see an ungual shape.   The ground was wet so the matrix is attached to the bone making it hard to see.  I took it out in a block to avoid any damage to the ungual being damp.

HadroUng1.jpgHadroUng1a.jpgHadroUng1b.jpgHadroUng1c.jpg

 

Ungual two was found by hitting one of its wings "ouch"  but I have the piece and will easily be repaired and wlll be very nice when cracked filled.

 

HadroUng2.jpg

HadroUng2c.jpg

 

I was also fortunate to find a couple of nice toe bones

ToeBone1.jpg

 

ToeBone1a.jpgToeBone1b.jpg

 

An infant one which is my favorite.

ToeBone3.jpg

 

 

 

 

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A couple of Metacarpals were found.   The extraction process is the same has with the larger bones but do not requiring jacketing.  Foil is sufficient.

Carpal 1

MetaCar1a.jpgMetaCar1bb.jpg

MetaCar1c.jpg

 

 

Carpal 2

MetaCar2.jpg

MetaCar2b.jpg

 

Did not glue sections easier to prep since there is no glue.

MetaCar2c.jpg

 

Teeth:

T rex  2 inch rooted tooth was found missing tip.  Don't think it was there but did collect a bucket of matrix and will keep my fingers crossed.

Rex1a.jpgRex1c.jpg

 

Fragments of other teeth plus the rooted one

Rex1d.jpg

 

Nanotyrannus largest 1 1/4"

Nano1.jpg

 

Paronychodon - largest 1"

Par.jpg

 

Acheroraptor - largest 1/2"

Acher.jpg

 

Theropod indet - largest 3/4"

TheropodT.jpg

 

Croc teeth and scutes - largest scute 1"

Croc.jpg

 

Hadro Teeth - largest 1"

Edmonto.jpg

 

Fish vertebrae - mostly gar - 3/8"

Fish.jpg

 

Trike spitters

Trike.jpg

 

 

 

Now the fun part begins hours and hours prepping everything to make them look presentable and like something you see for sale or in the museum 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Excellent field report Frank!    

Such a great look into how it is done. 

Thanks so much for showing us a little behind the curtains! 

Regards, 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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If you ever need a gopher, I'd be happy to go for this and go for that!  If ya catch my drift:D

 :fistbump:

I'm an excellent camp cook as well!! 

I can't wait to see them cleaned up. Thanks for sharing your fantastic adventure.

 

Best regards,

Paul

...I'm back.

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Very informative! I enjoyed reading this. 

Now my question is, how does one get access to land to dig out there? :ninja: Guess you have got to know some people haha! 

Thanks for sharing!

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Seeing the vistas and extraction methods feel a little like being there.  Glad you were able to make the trip.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Fantastic finds, and I greatly appreciate you showing us how to remove them and wrap them. Collecting out in the badlands is on my bucket list for sure. Do you go with a group or have you ever had anyone go with you? I would be glad to assist ;). I'm currently learning how to prep bones and repair them as I have a few hadrosaur bones from the badlands of Dakota. 

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Thanks for the super remarks.  Will keep all volunteers in mind for my next outing :rofl:

 

To respond to a couple of questions I go to the SD site with a few friends of mine and it's basically the same group, give or take a couple for the past 20 years.  Not everyone goes each trip but it's usually 5-6 strong.   One those friends actually gained access many moons ago and manages the trip with the group and landowner.   Other sites in Montana I've developed relationships with the landowners to gain access.   

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Great trip!  I'm jealous.  Maybe I can come next year!!?! 

 

 

ps- congrats on becoming the most informative member of TFF!!!!!  :fistbump:

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3 hours ago, Troodon said:

Thanks for the super remarks.  Will keep all volunteers in mind for my next outing :rofl:

:(    :faint:

I'll just have to save my super amazing happy fun time no bake cookies for another bribe...:hearty-laugh:

...I'm back.

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Thanks for an awesome report! Very informative. Great pics too!

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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I find this quite incredible!  

 

It takes a special talent  to spot a few of those finds and literally bring out the best in them.  That vertebra with the spine would be just a centrum without your knowledge of how it was oriented.  And not sure how you even began to tackle the hadrosaur ungual....it takes a keen eye to figure that one out.

 

Good luck with the tyrannosaur tooth tip.  A nice clean break can make those finds even more frustrating. They can be almost a curse because every time we look at a specimen like that we think 'if only'.   Then again, if it was easy, then fossils wouldn't feel as special. Best when we earn them.

 

 

 

 

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Awesome report, Troodon!   Your virtual tour and pictures are amazing!  I can't wait to see all of your treasures prepped!  You are a wealth of knowledge, and I am a better person and collector for having known you.   :) 

 

I can't wait for you to dig through the 5 gallon bucket of matrix looking for the T.rex tooth tip.  The suspense is killing me!  

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This is a great trip report! Thanks for sharing. :)

Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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