On Wednesday, Sept. 29, the BLM, cooperating with Zion National Park, will airlift the hadrosaur (duckbill) dinosaur that includes some of the skull and large areas of very well-preserved skin impressions around the hips and tail. The specimen is 70 percent complete, making it one of the most complete large dinosaur skeletons ever found in the Monument.
This is only the second airlift of a dinosaur from within GSENM and one of only a handful ever conducted with assistance from the BLM. The site was first discovered in 2001 by Utah Museum of Natural History volunteer Jodi Vincent, while on a survey looking for new fossil localities in the Monument.
WHY: The specimen holds a wealth of information about dinosaurs prior to their extinction. The find is extremely rare since dinosaurs of this genus are not typically found in this southern region (similar specimens have been located in Montana and Canada). The find may also represent a new species or hold clues to migration patterns of these animals.
Once airlifted and transported by truck to the Utah Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, museum paleontologists will work to unlock the evidence within the fossilized bones. After the preparation and curation of the bones (one or two years), it will be displayed at the museum for the public to enjoy (the skull is already on display at the Utah Museum of Natural History).
WHERE: Northeast of Henrieville, Utah, near Highway 12 in The Blues area, south of Powell Point.
WHEN:
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24-Sep-2004