How It Works-Book Of Dinosaurs

Identifying rock layers

The sedimentary layer of rock most

often containing fossils is deep

below the ground, so canyons and

ravines are ideal locations for digs

Removing the topsoil

To begin a dig, thick layers of

rock and dirt have to be

removed with shovels, diggers

and even bulldozers

Pneumatic tools

Air scribes, or micro jacks, are

used to remove particularly

hard pieces of rock that cling

very close to the fossil

Chipping hammer

When searching in areas where fossils

have already been discovered, simply

chipping away and analysing hard

stone could unearth a new fi nd

Photographing the site

Images of the site can help

palaeontologists piece together what

the landscape would have looked like

when the creature was alive

Bulldozers, hammers, chisels, drills and

even dynamite – you’d be forgiven for

thinking these were part of a

construction-site inventory. In fact, they

are the basic tools a palaeontologist will

use to uncover the mysteries of the past.

From removing tons of topsoil with

diggers and other heav y machiner y, to

carefully clearing away clinging dust

and debris with delicate brushes, the

process of excavating a dinosaur

skeleton can take many years.

How palaeontologists discover and

unearth prehistoric giants

Digging for

dinosaurs

Even in this ancient time when

giants ruled the Earth, sk y and

sea, Dreadnoughtus schrani truly

was a behemoth of a creature.

Standing over two-storeys tall and

weighing as much 60 tonnes, the

remains of this beast were found

by a team in Patagonia, Argentina,

and have been dated back over 77

million years. A member of the

titanosaur sauropod group of

dinosaurs, Dreadnoughtus was a

plant-eater and is to date the

largest known land animal ever to

have lived.

Two Dreadnoughtus

titanosaurs were found at the site,

and it’s believed the pair died in a

massive fl ash fl ood, which would

explain why their remains were

so complete. The preser vation of

the skeletons enabled scientists to

take full advantage of 3D-printing

technolog y, scanning in each

individual bone into a digital

format for even greater scrutiny.

This 3D rendering of

Dreadnoughtus provided even

greater insight into how it likely

looked and moved.

The largest dino fossil

DINOSAURS’ LEGACY

Finding fossils