Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Anytime you can go collecting fossils its a good time and I would like to share my spring trip to South Dakota and Montana. My South Dakota site is in the upper Hell Creek Formation and full of the hadrosaur Edmontosaurus annectens. I've been collecting this site for over 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 can be found. I like collecting in the section where smaller bones, unguals-toe-carpal-verts, are more typical while others like to go after larger limb bones. My trip to these areas takes me through the Chile Capital of the World, Hatch, New Mexico. Greeting me is Mr Rex a good start to my trip. I hear he is harmless... all show no action Some pictures of the South Dakota site The collecting zone is between the white lines a layer of 2 to 4 feet. The layer is shown below. The top is very crumbly and full of concretions. My Collecting gear consists of a tool box with everything I need to collect My glue field consolidant, orange bottle, without strength but is easy to prep and my structural glue, red. Activator to accelerate curing which rarely used. Tips for the glue Basic Tools I like to use No its not a beach day but temperatures approaching 90 degrees (32C) can get pretty hot so some protection is needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Note: I'm not one that spends time cleaning bones in the field that will be done later... Toe Bones are prized and one pops up top left within minutes of my dig. Takes about 30 minutes to work this bone out. Bones like to stick to the matrix so I like to use my knife to pry it up o Aluminum foil is all that is necessary to transport it home I typically do not collect tendons but this was a nice big one A Lots of caudal vertebrae found on this trip. Here is one missing the small processes Interesting pathology, it has a groove in it and does not appear to be a bit mark. Again foil is all that is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 One afternoon we had a very dangerous storm. Big hail, 70mph winds, tornado warnings, one hit the city of Gillette, Wyoming. One of our vehicles sustained minor hail damage. We all were able to leave the prairie without problem. A large carpal, hand bone . We call this the triangle carpal. One of the nicer ones I've seen, preservation outstanding. Extraction was easy less that 15 minutes About two feet down ran into this, its alive Moss? Plant, Fungus? About 2 inches across, very cool From a fellow digger 1) Rib 2) Humerus 3) Femur 42" Couple of ribs - casted and ready to transport A hand ungual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Bones are typically found in pockets so you may did for a while and find nothing and then a Toe Bone, Foot Ungual and Tooth. A very good day Toe Bone on top and on its side below a foot ungual. Nice big toe bone Ungual Medium size Ungual While clearing the matrix from the ungual a surprise an Acheroraptor tooth. Nice Trio A small Caudal Centrum from a Juvie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 A Juvie Toe bone Initial discovery Came out within seconds A skull element was next fount its an exoccipital located in the back of the skull. Illustration from a different different type of hadrosaur. Element in green Initial discovery, no clue what I had Its in great condition and off to my prep person Another skull element a Quadrate, shown in red in the above illustration. Not my find. \\ Another skull element Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 A Juvenile Tibia, not well preserved specimen but nice. Initial Discovery No pictures but followed by wrapping in aluminum foil and then plaster jacket. A vertebra Initial Discovery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 A Vertebra from the upper junk layer. Not preserved very well Decided to remove it intact with matrix Centrum Vertebra Initial Discovery Rooted Hadro tooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Local Flowers Long Bone not identified yet. Initial discovery Plaster wrap does the trick on this small bone When flipped Large Centrum, Initial discovery Nanotyrannus Tooth - found when extracting the centrum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Humerus - not mine Jacketed with a burlap reinforcement Hadrosaur Rooted Tooth Just the tip was exposed. Not sure if it had a root at this point. Caution taken just in case Part of the root visible. Nice size root - full of matrix and glue Found a couple of Juvie Chevrons here is an Adult one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 Spent a few days in Montana at a Channel Deposit. Mostly found Teeth and a Thescelosaurus vertebra You can tell you are in Montana Sites are pretty remote Backhoe helps with overburden removal Black line overburden - 5 to 10 feet. Red lines the Hell Creek Layer 3 feet \\\ Typical Theropod tooth discovery A number of items went to a prep person in SD that I could not manage. Will Post those when I get them back. Edmontosaurs Carpals Crocodile Material Hadrosaur Teeth Theropod Teeth - all need to be prepped and will post at a later date including a couple of small rex teeth not in the photo Did find these to tiny teeth that I was able to clean up. Acheroraptor Richardoestesia sp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 What are you building? 1 minute ago, Troodon said: under construction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Love the toe bones and unguals. Harder to come by IMO. I'd be biased towards those, too. Great, informative post. Love the typical digging knife. Among other things good for shaving roots (rather than pulling which the inexperienced digger would soon regret! ). Thanks for posting pics from paradise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Absolutely amazing post with great pics....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 1 hour ago, Bone guy said: What are you building? A skeleton, all finished Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Looks like You did good on this trip, congratulations Frank! Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Wow, great trip! The theropod teeth are my favorite. That Acheroraptor tooth is exquisite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 Awesome Frank. That is a dream trip of a lifetime for many of us! Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 Nice finds Frank and great trip report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 Cool. Looks like you have some good sites there. Nice pile of bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocentx Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 Great bones! Any theories on what caused the complete dis-articulation of even the skulls? Flooding perhaps? "Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimTexan Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 It looks similar to the terrain of a dig site in the Lance Formation in Wyoming I’ve been to a couple times. Only the one I go to has hoodoos all over the place. I think the layers were thicker in the Lance where we dig too. The dig I’ve been to is in June. I get the crazy weather. Once when out on the dig we had a severe storm with straight line winds. Many of those there for the dig were camping in tents because it is so remote. The temp had been in the 80s during the day, but suddenly dropped to below freezing that night with wind, rain and sleet. The winds were so bad it mangled a few tents rendering them unusable. Often strong winds blow through the day sand blasting you while you dig. They put up little lento We all had to wear goggles to protect our eyes from the sand. The fossils look pretty similar to the Lance too, but there are a lot more large bones. Some take days to remove. I don’t think the teeth were very common on the particular 2 sites I dug in, but in other sites they were. They also found a number of sculls. It looks like an amazing trip with great finds. So what happens to the fossils that you dig up? All those dug up in situ on the dig I attend go to a university museum. Whatever you find not in situ you can take Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 That’s a lot of Dino! Just bone after bone after bone! Awesome job and thanks for taking us with you! I believe the wierd growth is a lichen if some sort. Many millions of species and they are a composite organism in and of themselves so it’s probably not gonna get beyond that. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 In general the Lance has a lot more rather thick yellowish sandstones than the Hell Creek, which has more gray and dark gray mudstone beds. And yes, hoodoos are very typical in the Lance; made of those very same yellow sandstones. Which University Museum have you been digging with? Not mine, unless that is not your photo inyour avatar. we are pretty proud of our wind here in Wyoming. If you come back for another dig, stop by the Tate Museum in Casper... I (or one of my vols) can show you some cool stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manticocerasman Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 So many bones growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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