Our fossil hunts are very popular!We believe this is because we run them on beaches where there is a very high probability of finding fossils, and also because of the knowledge and enthusiasm of our guides.We have found from experience and visitor’s comments that most fossil hunt attendees want to find something, and by that they mean anything – especially the children.For that reason, the beaches we use do not always offer a chance of finding dinosaur bones. Although dinosaurs are very popular, good finds are rare indeed, even at the best times to look, so if we ran hunts where dinosaur bearing rocks were all there was, we think there would be much disappointment.On a fossil hunt our guides explain safety issues and the local environment. They carry tools with them in order to extract fossils found.Although we do not encourage people bringing their own tools, we do not have the power to stop this. As we are not covered on insurance for excavating, we require that people booking a fossil hunt with us must sign a disclaimer. This disclaimer will be on the receipt issued on booking.Our fossil hunts can only be booked by a personal visit to Dinosaur Farm. We DO NOT accept phone bookings for logistical reasons.Although you do not have to pay museum entrance to book a fossil hunt, we recommend that you do as you will be able to see examples of what you might find, and you can talk to our experts, one of which is the likely guide for your hunt.If we have no fossil hunts on, or they are fully booked, you have two options which may satisfy.1. Pay entrance to the museum and speak to the experts. They can advise you on where to go hunting yourselves, and show you examples of what you can find.This is a good alternative if you are unable to book onto a hunt.2. You could book an exclusive Fossil Hunt, but please note that this is more expensive, and is more dependent on the availability of our guides.You would however have the guide to yourselves, and the fossil hunt can last longer.
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What are fossils? Fossils are animal and plant remains which have been buried and covered for millions of years. During this time the remains change as minerals from the surrounding rock (Matrix) replace the original minerals that make-up the fossil.Nearly all fossils are formed in or near water. Without the rapid burial of the remains, by sediment carried in the water the remains would rot or erode away. Only complete burial of the remains will allow them to be preserved. This stops the wind and rain turning them into dust, or bacteria eating them. At the time of the dinosaurs on the Island, there were rivers and streams criss-crossing the landscape. These carried soft sediment that buried some dinosaur carcasses and allowed them to be turned into fossils.During the millions of years in the ground, water trickling through the rock, took away some of the minerals that formed part of the remains. These lost minerals were replaced by minerals carried in the water like iron. Over time the remains became permineralised and although the shape size and structure of the remains was kept, the minerals were different. This change made the fossils harder than the rock they were buried in and allowed them to survive the weight of the rock above them.Millions of years later the erosion of the land by wind and rain exposes fossil, allowing its discovery by palaeontologists and members of the public.Restoration of FossilsFossils brought to Dinosaur Farm Museum are carefully unwrapped and given to one of our volunteers to assess. They look at the condition of the fossil and the rock around it (matrix) to decide which method of preparation is suitable.If the fossil is hard and the matrix is soft, our volunteers are armed with toothbrushes, water (or Acetone) and toothpicks to clean the soft matrix off the fossil. Once clean it maybe given a coat of Paraloid to harden the outside and make it stronger. Paraloid is a type of plastic which dissolves in Acetone (nail-varnish remover). This forms a glue which is painted onto fossils to protect them. The advantage of Paraloid is it can be removed with Acetone, if a mistake has been made (or another treatment is used that would not work with the Paraloid in the way).Sometimes the fossil is broken into many small fragments. Paraloid and or Cyanoacrylate (Superglue) can also be used to stick these pieces back together. The Coracoid (Chest-bone) of the Barnes High Sauropod found at Dinosaur Farm Museum is broken into many thousands of fragments. It will take a total of 5-6 years to put all the pieces back, for just one bone!If the fossil is hard and the matrix is hard, our volunteers use air-chisels to chip the rock off the fossil. Air-chisels are powered by compressed air that makes the hard nib vibrate very quickly. This hard nib only chips away little pieces; so this process can take a very long time. A big bone could take months or even years to clean! Most small to medium sized fossils only take a few days or weeks.If the fossil is soft and the matrix is hard, our volunteers have a big problem. If they chip away at the matrix they may damage or destroy the fossil. Usually all we can do in this circumstance is try to strengthen the fossil with Paraloid and leave it. Maybe one day we will have the technology to remove the matrix without destroying the fossil.Once the matrix has been removed from the fossil, any loose fragments are glued back into position. Sometimes fossils have holes in them or gaps where there should be bone, or shell (in the case of Ammonites). In this circumstance our volunteers may fill the gap with Plaster of Paris or Plasticine. Once finished the fossil is ready for display. |
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