A hidden fossil reserve with numerous dinosaur footprints has recently been discovered in Utah’s residential area underneath the city of St. George. This showcases that evidence of prehistoric life can be found amidst modern communities.
The city of St. George has plans to make way for a new power substation, but when construction started, they discovered an something amazing. The first and most notable discovery was that of dinosaur footprints, providing evidence that there could be fossils in the area.
Instead of ignoring them and continuing construction, the city made the important ethical move to halt progress temporarily to give paleontologists a chance to do some excavating.
A Massive Undertaking
This move shows that the city is committed to protecting ancient history at the cost of delaying their plans for building an important power station for St. George.
After word spread about the potential fossil site, interest was quickly sparked, and this ended in a city-wide community effort to uncover the histories of the past.
200 individuals have volunteered to take part in the massive undertaking, and many are not taking breaks, performing 12 hour shifts without any rest days to get the most in the weeks they have before the site will be paved over.
History
Utah has many places within its borders that are praised for the amount of fossils that have been uncovered. Sites like the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry are known for having an amazing concentration of dinosaur bones.
The findings in St. George mark a new site that, while time-limited, could uncover fossils that challenge our understanding of the area during prehistoric times. Utah has been called a treasure trove for dinosaur fossils by paleontologists, with the new site only reinforcing this notion towards the state.
The window for the rare opportunity to study the well-preserved layer of footprints and uncover anything else is closing, so community involvement is important not only in helping with the effort but also in fostering a culture of curiosity and exploration in Utah.
Challenges
Urban settings usually make good fossil preservation exceedingly rare. Infrastructure efforts usually mean that construction equipment damages any fossils that lay underneath the ground, not to mention locking fossils away underneath buildings and concrete.
The city wants these fossils to be found and preserved now before the opportunity passes and they are lost forever. This is a collaborative effort between paleontologists and city officials to ensure fossils are found before any damage can take place.
The St. George project shows that careful planning and industry cooperation can protect cultural heritage while accommodating development. This sets an example for other city projects that aim to expand over important archaeological or fossil sites.
Community Engagement
Word among the local community has spread about the dig site and its excavation effort before the city builds over it. Many are enthusiastic, including school, residents, and volunteers, who have donated their time, money, and other resources to the cause.
Local media has covered the story, with social media also contributing to raise awareness. This collaboration has sparked curiosity within paleontology and the rich history our Earth can teach us.
Utah continues to be a state with a rich fossils history, and many residents are feeling a sense of shared ownership in it’s prehistoric past. Community engagement create awareness and brings in addition resources and donations from external parties.
Discoveries Made
With over 200 individuals hard at work at the site in St. George, there have been some new discoveries. Many dinosaur footprints have been found, including those that belonged to an anomepus, which was a large plant-eating dinosaur.
Paleontologists have also found other amazing discoveries, like dinosaur teeth, with one being over four inches long. It is thought that this long tooth could belong to a theropod, such as a Dilophosaurus, although this has not been verified yet.
There have also been fish fossils uncovered, with the potential of new species being found. The site has also produced fossils of crocodylomorphs and insect trace fossils. This provides a unique insight into what the prehistoric biome might have looked like.
Economic And Educational Impact
Utah already brings in thousands of tourists to many of their fossil related spots all over the state. This includes fossil sites like U-Dig Fossils in Delta, where people can really feel like paleontologists as they go fossil hunting.
The fossils will be transported to the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, which is a well-established museum that already has thousands of fossils including bones, footprints, and other prehistoric remains.
With excitement surrounding the fossil discoveries, students could be inspired to go down the paths of science and paleontology – Utah’s reputation for its fossil heritage would only grow more as a result.
Solutions For Preservation
Fossils are fragile by nature and need to be protected during excavation and transport. However, when the fossils are still in the ground, and nearby construction takes place, there are currently little to no solutions to keeping them from being damaged.
Construction companies in St. George lent heavy machinery to help expedite the process of excavating the fossils. Experts supervised the use of this machinery to ensure that no fossils were damaged and could be documented.
Once their time is up and all the fossils excavated are sent to the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site, future research could conducted on the fossils. St. George and Utah are showing how both the preservation of the natural world and urban progress can coincide with one another.
Fossil Discovery
As more fossils are being found in the modern age near urban areas, there is a trend of more involvement from the community. Historically, paleontology has been largely overlooked by locals.
The fossil undertaking at St. George shows that local governments, scientists, and volunteers can work together in a positive and efficient way. Paleontology is becoming more accessible and inclusive to a wider range of people. Fossils are now being excavated and preserved in different ways with the development of new technology, including 3D modeling, imaging, and remote sensing.
Fossil discoveries are being made more often with advanced technology, meaning they can be found while still buried under the Earth. This means that more people are exposed to paleontology, fostering a greater interest in the field.
An Important Step
If the city had not noticed an important fossil sight underneath them or ignored it entirely, then the power station would be on schedule at the expense of scientific discovery.
City officials being willing to delay progress is an important step that other municipalities should strive towards. Many fossils have been uncovered, which otherwise would have still been hidden underneath the ground.
Furthermore, the collaborative effort and excitement that’s brewed over the fossil site would never have started, and awareness around the importance of fossils would not have exploded the way it has. A closer community has been fostered through collaboration, patience, and understanding.
Explore more of our trending stories and hit Follow to keep them coming to your feed!
Don’t miss out on more stories like this! Hit the Follow button at the top of this article to stay updated with the latest news. Share your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear from you!
