What is it like to dig for dinosaurs, and can you lick a dinosaur fossil?

What is paleontological excavation like? You may be full of curiosity about it. Today, Calendar Girl has invited paleontologist and Species Calendar author Xing Lida to share the dinosaur excavation experience that influenced him most.

In 2010, as a paleontology doctoral student who enrolled in the winter term, I joined the dinosaur expedition team of the University of Alberta in Canada. Our destination wasthe Edmonton fossil site, where fossils of the tyrannosaurid Albertosaurus, the dromaeosaurid Saurornitholestes, and the hadrosaurids Edmontosaurus and Saurolophus had already been found.

An Albertosaurus fossil found at the Edmonton fossil site, with a hadrosaur under its feet. Image: Xing Lida

Before setting out on the expedition, we first had to gather literature on the geology and paleontology of the destination and familiarize ourselves with previous research results,doing solid preparation. After that, we filled the pickup truck with gas, put on our small backpacks, and set off!

Q1. When going to dig for dinosaurs, what should you pack in a small backpack?

Field notebook, camera, GPS, maps, geological maps, compass; goggles, gloves; a pickaxe, hammer, and chisel for rough excavation, and an ESTWING professional geological hammer (pointed head and flat head); a brush, trowel (pointed head and flat head), dental probe, Vinac (a protective agent), eyedropper...

Excavation at Edmonton was not a matter of putting your head down and digging in a straight line, but rather choosing different points to work on. This allowed us to understand the abundance of fossils in the bonebed more purposefully. We started with the fossil pit from the previous year, and for the first few days were busyclearing the overburden above the fossil layer. Digging down from the overburden, past the zone of plant roots, we reached a gravel layer about 1 m thick, and by then scattered fossils had already appeared.

Our expedition team working on the bonebed at the fossil site. Image: Xing Lida

"Oh my god!" While clearing, I was unexpectedly dazzled by a small glittering fossil in front of me. When I picked it up, it turned out to be a small tooth of a carnivorous dinosaur. The key points for identifying carnivorous dinosaur teeth are their scimitar-like shape and the densely packed serrations along the edges.

Q2. What are some simple ways to identify fossils?

Let me teach you three tricks.

1. Shape. Fossils should have a bone shape, with blood vessel patterns, while stones do not;

2. Taste. Lick the broken surface of the stone with your tongue. If it tastes bitter and is a bit sticky, it is a fossil;

3. Color. The vast majority of stones are lighter in color than fossils.

Once dinosaur fossils begin to be gradually exposed on the ground, we first have to judge based on their burial position: see whether the fossils in front of us are just a few local fragments, or possibly the tip of the iceberg of a complete skeleton.

After determining the target, we begin clearing the loose soil around the fossil. When clearing near the fossil, we even have to"lie flat on our bellies", using brushes and probes to approach the fossil carefully, while continuously pouring Vinac over the fossil to prevent it from cracking apart.

Fossils of an Edmontosaurus ilium and dorsal vertebrae (left), and my classmate applying a plaster jacket to them (right). Image: Xing Lida

After entering the fossil layer, at first there will be concentrated discoveries of vertebral centra. Once the fossil assemblage has been exposed to a certain scale and excavation pauses for a while, the important work at this point is to use grid boards todraw a burial map - fossils are positioned, outlines are drawn, specific bones are indicated, and numbers are assigned. Small fossils can be removed after numbering, and after a simple cleaning, the number is written on the fossil with a marker; large fossils must be wrapped with burlap and plaster, then safely transported back to the fossil preparation laboratory.

Preparing fossils in the fossil preparation laboratory. Image: Xing Lida

Q3. When searching for fossils, do you need to pay attention to timing and location?

Of course. First, you need to go to the right collection location. Generally speaking, fossils are easier to find in places with very little vegetation, such as cliffs, gullies, hillsides, and deserts.

Second, you need to take advantage of opportunities created by natural factors. For example, the Gobi Desert after a storm, or small hills after heavy rain.

Once fossil excavation pauses for a while, the work after that is left to the fossil preparation laboratory and paleontologists.

Edmonton is already the world'sonlycity with a dinosaur fossil bonebed within the urban area, but wanting to go there to experience paleontological excavation is still, for ordinary people,arduous with very slim chances。

If you are full of curiosity about paleontology, especially dinosaurs, you might as well choose the co-producedTeacher Xing Lida, author of this article and paleontologist, and

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