It saturates the bones and keeps water from petrifying or destroying it. The current dig is about 14 feet below the surface, with another 5 to 8 feet to go before the last deposits will be reached. This year's work started in July and will continue into September. Besides brushes and dental picks, the researchers use small chisels and trowels to extract their finds. Large fossils are placed in containers marked with the find's exact location and sent to the nearby paleontology museum.
Sediment is screened for microfossils.
In the lab, fossils are cleaned, repaired if necessary, identified and labeled. Other researchers visit the lab to help identify species. We're the reference and the source of comparison for fossils in this time period for anywhere in the world. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.