When exploring a new area, sometimes it's hard to determine which fossils are important to ongoing research and which are not. In this case, a fossil bison leg bone is protruding from the cut bank of a gully. As Rich Barclay explains, generally, DMNS is not interested in these "young" bones.
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BEFORE: Rich Barclay discusses the area to be excavated in this gully. An "after" picture follows that shows our digging work - not an easy task in the 95f+ temperatures.
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AFTER: Compare the previous image - showing our excavation efforts. Note the clean stream bed in the previous image compared to the piles of debris in this image.
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A bone fragment found at "Song of the Wind" atop the surrounding area. Most bones fragments are found on 'nearly' flat surfaces. There must be enough slope to let the dirt erode away, yet not enough to provide transportation for the bones. A good rule of thumb is to look for fossil bone fragments where you also find many small pebbles.
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"Lost a contact?" No, this is the correct posture, demonstrated by Jim, to look for fossil bone fragments. In most cases, you will never see them in an upright position.
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Steve finds another bull snake. This one had just finished eating bird eggs in the vertical gully slope (to right) - where a bird's nest was clearly visible.
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Jessica working hard in the fossil leaf quarry.
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All of the debris in the gully and to left was excavated in a matter of hours by our crew. Sherman & Bob stay behind to record the geology.
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The tools of the trade: toilet paper roles, pick axes, brooms, shovels - and carefully wrapped fossil leaf specimens in cardboard flats for transport to the museum.
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Jane working her way up the sediments...
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A bird nest we found with one hatched bird, complete with beak and another egg waiting.
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Looking down from the "bone crew" to the "leaf crew" at the botton of the gully.
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The new fossil leaf locality called "Smoke Break" - just above the D1/D2 contact. (About 11' or 3 meters above the creek bed. The nice leaves were in the small, dark cave at top - just below the rusty, sandstone layer. Elev approx 6009 feet.
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The D1/D2 contact in this portion of the West Bijou Creek. Coal beds (lignite) represent the D1 sequence below, while the cross-bedded sands & pebbles represent the D2 sequence above. An unconformity exists between the two sequences.
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