Denver – The Denver Museum, famous for its dinosaur exhibits, has unearthed fossil bones right beneath its parking lot, bringing paleontological discoveries closer to home than many anticipated.
This find originated from a drilling operation that reached over 750 feet (230 meters) deep to explore geothermal heating options at the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences.
The museum is a favorite among dinosaur lovers of all ages, where full-sized dinosaur skeletons astonish children who can barely reach their parents’ knees, especially the mighty Tyrannosaurus.
Richard M Wicker/Video Denver Natural Museum AP
While this latest find may not be visually striking, the likelihood of discovering a fossil sample shaped like a hockey puck is notably low.
Museum representatives highlighted the rarity of encountering dinosaur remains, even in localized areas with a modest width of just a few inches (5 cm).
“Finding dinosaur bones in the core is akin to drilling into one of the moons. It’s like winning the Willy Wonka Factory. It’s extraordinarily uncommon,” noted James Hagerdorn, the museum’s geology curator.
Thomas Paypert / AP
Museum officials mentioned that only two similar discoveries have been documented in borehole samples globally, let alone on the grounds of a dinosaur museum.
These vertebrae are believed to come from small, herbivorous dinosaurs that thrived during the late Cretaceous period, approximately 67.5 million years ago, shortly before the asteroid impacts that led to their extinction.
Fossilized plant materials were also uncovered in the vicinity of the bone.
“The animal inhabited a wetland ecosystem that was likely lush with vegetation at that time,” explained Patrick O’Connor, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences.
The region has long been recognized for its dinosaur discoveries, including fossils resembling Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. This recent find is noted to be Denver’s deepest and oldest, according to O’Connor.
While other experts validate the findings, reactions to the discoveries have been varied.
“It’s impressive. However, it might not be scientifically groundbreaking,” commented Thomas Williamson, curator of paleontology at the Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Williamson remarked that it’s challenging to accurately determine the species of dinosaur from the evidence found.
Yet, Erin Rack Count, the educational program director for Dinosaur Ridge, located just west of Denver, exclaimed in an email that the discovery is “absolutely legitimate and utterly fascinating!”
The fossil’s shape suggests it may belong to a duck-billed dinosaur or perhaps a tecosaurus.
Currently, the borehole fossils are on display at the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences, but there are no plans to search for additional finds beneath the parking lot.
“I wish I could dig a 763-foot (233 meters) hole in the parking lot and unearth more dinosaurs, but I don’t think it will happen because of parking constraints,” said a museum official.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
