Summer Road Trip - Part 3 - Hell Creek Dino Hunt - **UPDATED!**

[abctriplets]

From our Fish Dig in Kemmerer, Wyoming (Fish Dig Trip Report), we drove back up to Montana (which was frustrating, as we had just been in this region the previous week, but we were with family members who didn't see the value in spending all day out in the heat looking at rocks...)

 

This was the first of our two days exploring the Hell Creek Formation.  For this day, we went to Baisch's Dinosaur Digs (http://www.dailydinosaurdigs.com/). We were in Glendive, Montana, and Baisch's office was not far from town, and really easy to get to.

We popped into the office, which turned out to be a small museum containing finds from the ranch, as well as finds donated to them.

We got a very brief tutorial, and were shown some samples of common finds in the region. They showed us what bone material would look like, what crocodile scutes would be, what gar scales would look like. It was going to be a super hot day (100+), and they were kind enough to let us start an hour earlier (at 7am). We weren't sure if we would stick it out for a full day, or just do a half day.

After a bathroom stop, we gathered up all of our water bags, and piled into their truck. The main owner, Shana, was out in the field already, trying to recover some kind of big bone, so we never got to meet her. Instead, we were driven out into the middle of nowhere by her assistant. While friendly, she didn't know that much about the geology or paleontology of the region. So basically, we were just doing a surface collection/survey on a ranch. Still pretty cool, and my kids loved finding bone fragments around them.

 

The kids scrambled up and down the slopes. We warned them to stay close, and to not put their hands under any rocks, etc. Our guide had a pistol on her belt just in case we ran into rattlesnakes or mountain lions.

[abctriplets]

We were given plastic bags to put our finds in. Some areas had a pile of small bone fragments (we kept those together in an individual bag), other areas were just a random bit.

We found one area where we were discovering some "micro" fossils, fragments of small teeth, or gar scales (Coraline here kept finding them, dozens in her bag)

 

A lot of what we were finding were broken bits that had eroded out of the cliff. They weren't that scientifically interesting, but pretty cool for our first exposure to finding dino bones. In one area, we found a decent fist-sized chunk (in a few parts) of an end to a bone.

[abctriplets]

[abctriplets]

In one area, we found two large bone fragments in situ, and a couple of other smaller bone fields around. We were shown how to use the glue/preservative to try to keep it together, how to remove it from the ground, and we wrapped one side of each of them in plaster before securing it in tin foil.

 

 

[abctriplets]

After a threatening rain cloud scared us away from the good area (water makes it difficult to drive, as the gumbo/clay mixture reduces traction, and we had parked on the other side of a dry creek bed), we then walked to another area, before we decided the heat had gotten to us. We drove back to the main office.

There we basked in the AC, and were given some cool drinks. Back there, Marge (Shana's mom?) was in, and she helped identify a number of our mystery bone pieces. Since the girls were showing lots of interest in the fossils, she gave them a nice sample of crocodile scales to take home with them.

 

In a bit, I'll clear some table space and take pictures of our finds from this location

[Ptychodus04]

This sounds like a lot of fun.

[PFOOLEY]

My kind of family adventure! Great report...thank you for sharing it.

 

[ynot]

This road trip just keeps getting better and better!

Thanks for the (virtual) experience.

[abctriplets]

Here's a quick shot. There was *tons* of petrified wood out on the ranch.

 

I had originally planned on picking up a bunch on the way *back* but due to the weather scare, and a bit of overheating, we didn't go back the same route. Still kicking myself for not getting more (the one on the left is *quite* heavy)

[abctriplets]

They also found a lot of these round iron concretions, which the kids thought was fun to collect

[Nimravis]

Great report- thanks for sharing. I've learned in the past to never leave something I want with the intention of coming back for- I either forgot to go back or forgot where it was. Now I deal with the piece in question at the time I find it. Like you, I regret some of the things I left.

[abctriplets]

Finally got all the items from this leg of our journey cleaned (well, mostly) and organized:

Here's the big issue. Two big (well, for us) chunks of bone that have plaster on one side, dirt on the other, and a bag of misc bits that belongs to it. Will need preserver, tools, and glue.

But this was an easy one. A pile of random bone bits. Evidently when a bone erodes out, it is porous enough to hold a lot of moisture and rain. So when winter comes, it freezes and explodes into a bone bomb. These are some of the shrapnel....

[abctriplets]

Now here is a section of bone bits that *might* be recognizable. Will have to explore these more in depth...

And here (plate on the top) are bones from one location that can fit together. Once it dries out again (from cleaning), I can see 3 easily will glue together into a larger mystery bone. Had another paleontologist look at it, and thought it might be the end of a mandible or a large joint. Looks interesting....

And beneath that, divided on the plate are two bone piles...perhaps some glue will reconnect some of them...

 

[abctriplets]

The lady in charge was nice, and gave the kids a bag of crocodile scutes and teeth that she had found back in 2013. Also on the top plate is a fossilized fig, and probably/possibly part of a triceretops crest.  On the plate below is another 2 piles of misc bones to possibly glue.

Then we have our "micro" piles. Here we have a container of gar scales (so blue!), a container of spitter/worn teeth fragments (triceratops/duckbill), and 3 containers each with the same jawbone section. I'll have to get an ID on these later. Also some scutes/scales at the bottom?

And my daughter's "skin collection". Top container is a tiny vertebra, and possibly jaw/tooth fragment? Then some more scutes and skin, and a couple more containers of gar scales.

 

Overall, this was a lot of fun. But it seemed more like we had gotten permission to surface collect on a ranch from the owner, than it was a scientific expedition. Our next venture into the Hell Creek Formation (part 4 of our summer road trip) was led by an expert, and was much more scientific and precise a venture.

[ynot]

Part 3 sounds like it was a good day.

Looking forward to the next instalment!

[CBOB]

Looks like a great time!  Montana is one cool state!  Nice finds!

[smt126]

It looks like you guys had a pretty good haul. Was there ever a post of part 4 or am I just totally missing it? I'm curious about this guided tour as I was thinking of heading back out there in a couple years. @abctriplets

[abctriplets]

On 9/15/2017 at 1:03 AM, smt126 said:

It looks like you guys had a pretty good haul. Was there ever a post of part 4 or am I just totally missing it? I'm curious about this guided tour as I was thinking of heading back out there in a couple years. @abctriplets

 

Yeah, I'll get Part 4 up. (And Part 1, which I skipped). Soon...

[jpc]

Nice report.  Fun trip.  The 'skin ' collection is soft shelled turtle pieces.  Petrified fig?!  I have never heard of that from the Hell Creek.  Crocodile scales?  

 

If you post some close ups of the little jaws, i might ge able to ID them for you.

[abctriplets]

On 9/18/2017 at 0:55 AM, jpc said:

Nice report.  Fun trip.  The 'skin ' collection is soft shelled turtle pieces.  Petrified fig?!  I have never heard of that from the Hell Creek.  Crocodile scales?  

 

If you post some close ups of the little jaws, i might ge able to ID them for you.