Our Process

Shovels, pickaxes, oyster knives and brushes are used to remove soft overburden and break through hard sandstone layers. Once a bone is found, tools are used to dig and pry around the bone so it can be removed and taken to the museum, where it is cataloged and placed in the prep lab.

Prepping a fossil requires great patience, skill, and attention to detail. Depending on the size of the specimen, technicians may use anything from a jackhammer down to tools that vibrate a single grain of sand to remove the matrix and expose the fossilized bone.