The Dinosaur Quarry. Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado-UtahGood, John M. (John Maxwell)
History
The Dinosaur Quarry. Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado-Utah
Good, John M. (John Maxwell)
Dinosaur National Monument (Colo. and Utah); Dinosaurs; Paleontology -- Jurassic
New and interesting dinosaurs were present among the flesh-eaters.
Horned forms, somewhat similar to the rhinoceros but much larger, were
common. Also common were the turtle-like ankylosaurs. Perhaps the oddest
and most interesting dinosaurs of the Cretaceous were the two-footed
hadrosaurs. These excellent swimmers had weird head shapes with
complicated skull passages and openings. They were a very successful
group and at least 15 different kinds are known from the Cretaceous
rocks of North America.
WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE
Ideas about the external appearances of dinosaurs have been developed
after many years of work and study. They are a combination of the ideas
of several people who had studied different specimens of a single
species. Let us review briefly the materials and work necessary to
arrive at a reasonably accurate picture of the body form and external
appearance of these strange reptiles.
The first requirement for arriving at a good idea of the build and
physical attitude of an animal is a nearly entire skeleton. We cannot
have too much of the animal’s skeleton missing or we may make a serious
error. But if the left hind leg is missing and we have the right, we are
not seriously handicapped. However, if both hind legs are missing we
must restore them according to a similar animal whose hind legs are
known.
After the nearly entire skeleton has been found it must be collected
with great care. This is a rather involved process and, for some of the
large dinosaurs, 2 or 3 months work may be required. The specimen is
first uncovered and the fossil bone is treated with a preservative such
as gum arabic, shellac, or one of the plastics. An accurate diagram of
the specimen as it lies in the rock is made on cross-ruled paper. A
trench 2 or 3 feet wide is then dug around the specimen. The depth of
the trench is determined by the width of the specimen and the nature of
the rock.
[Illustration: PUTTING PLASTER CAST ON A FOSSIL BEFORE REMOVING IT
FROM THE QUARRY.]
If the specimen is too large to take out in one piece, as most dinosaurs
are, it is divided into sections which are numbered serially as they are
taken out. Each section is bandaged in strips of burlap dipped in
plaster of Paris. After the plaster has set, the section is turned over
and the bottom is sealed with burlap and plaster. The section is labeled
with the appropriate number and the section and number are shown on the
diagram.
When all of the sections have been bandaged and numbered they are packed
in strong wooden boxes and shipped to the laboratory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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