Spot Dinosaur Fossils
Looking for dinosaur bones and fossils can be a fun and exciting experience. If you're at the right location and know spot the bones, there is a chance that you will be rewarded with a bone of an ancient creature. The first individual to find a dinosaur fossil in modern times was a British paleontologist and ecclesiastic named William Buckland (1784-1856). If you are adequately prepared, and you know optimize your chances, you too could make an exciting find.
Instructions
Preparing
1. Study dinosaur bones in books. magazines, websites and museums so you'll get an idea of what you're looking for. See Resources below.
2. Get a leg up by taking a fossil dig tour or at least planning your expedition at a location used by the--known sites of abundant dinosaur fossils.
3. Be prepared for diligent, slow and painstaking work. It is the "nature of the beast."
What to Look For
4. Check areas with plenty of sedimentary rocks. These rocks are created from deposits of minerals and other substances, typically found near areas with water or where water once was. Many dinosaur bones are found in or around sedimentary rocks because the bones and other fossils are preserved as they are buried. You may need to dig a bit to uncover bones or fossils around sedimentary rocks. Also, not all sedimentary rocks are hard.
5. Use a geologic map to discover where to find dinosaur bones. Geologic maps show different types of rock by color, including sedimentary rock. Finding this kind of rock will help you locate the dinosaur bones.
6. Search around areas that contain or once contained water. Since the dinosaurs needed water to live, they were never far from it. By checking near water or areas that once contained water, you'll increase your chances of finding dinosaur bones.
Most Common Locations Dinosaur Bones Are Found
7. Perform your search in areas where lots of dinosaur bones have been found. For instance, near Red Deer River in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta Canada, paleontologists have found entire skeletons as well as scads and scads of dinosaur bones.
8. Check areas where bones have been found previously, since some common locations contain more fossils that are not bones, such as foot prints. In Hell Creek, Montana, the first Tyrannosaurus Rex was found in 1903. Many dinosaur bones and other fossils have been found here as well.
9. Check quarries, river beds, cliff faces and other areas where sedimentary rock may be present. Often, dinosaur bones are discovered in the middle of another act, such as digging for land development.
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