Suddenly Seymour!

We've arrived!




The field truck is loaded with pounds of plaster, ready for action.





Last season, a bulldozer operator was working on the ranch, digging a new cow "tank." We are lucky he had a good eye because he stopped when he spotted fossils. Soon, the dig team was over in the area working, and they found Trimerorhachis skulls--lots of them! The amphibian skulls and the mound of soil around them were covered in plaster. With some clever, careful work, the huge plaster jacket was moved to a safer spot on the ranch (one that wasn't about to be flooded with drinking water for cows). With so much rain this winter, the area where they were found is now under 25 feet of water!

Our big job today was to work on that huge "jacket." First, we needed to reduce its weight by removing a few layers of dirt from the bottom (which now sits on the top).




As the layers split off in neat sheets, we looked carefully to be sure we were only removing layers of dirt and not fossils!



Michele discovered something amazing!




Trimerorhachis footprints! Wow!

After the excitement (and the paleo-paparazzi) died down, we were ready to begin jacketing the footprints and the rest of the bottom of the jacket (now on top) so that those precious skulls can be safely transported.



The area is covered in foil to protect the footprints.






Next, fabric dipped in plaster and smoothed over the foil.







Shirley really gets into her work!








The sad news for the day is at the main quarry. The wet winter weather caused the soil above the site to erode under the tarp and down onto the area where the team is digging. This means more work for the team to undo the work of water and gravity--and it also means that fossils that were "in place"are no longer organized in layers. This means that clues about what was living with what and who was eating whom may be lost.

But the ranch owners have a happy surprise for us!


No indoor plumbing on the ranch, but now the team will have fancy facilities!