A trained eye, persistence, and luck often lead paleontologists to new fossil discoveries, and new fossil localities are found every year. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument currently monitors over 600 fossil-bearing localities, each meticulously recorded to capture pertinent scientific data. Once a locality is discovered, it is photographed, GPS positioned, and documented in field notes. Paleontologists then carefully excavate fossils with hand tools by removing sediment from around the specimen, while the sediment provides geologists context for the discovery. The specimen is wrapped in a plaster jacket to preserve and protect it during transport from the field to the laboratory. Fossils are then cleaned, stabilized, examined, and catalogued. After a specimen has been preserved and entered into museum collections, it can be used for scientific studies and museum exhibits. Each fossil recovered adds to understanding ancient life and ecosystems that existed in southern Idaho during the Pliocene Epoch.

Photo: Barry Swackhamer

Hagerman, Idaho · USA