Power Tools of the Trade: Paleontology

Photos and story by Michael Mozdy

Recently, my wife and I were lucky enough to join the NHMU Paleontology team on a dig in Grand Staircase-Escalante (read Bitten by the Adventure Bug On a Dino Dig). We learned a ton about fieldwork, and one of the surprising things to us was that paleontologists use power tools when excavating in hard rock layers. Tylor Birthisel (pictured below) is an NHMU Paleontology Preparator and Preparation Lab Manager, and takes such a liking to his power tools that he names them.

At one point, everyone climbed out of the quarry as Tylor picked up Vera, his trusty jackhammer. It turns out that this quarry had been particularly difficult to excavate, with the fossils encapsulated in sandstone the consistency of concrete. Long, hard, hot hours with nothing but gnats for entertainment. After hearing stories of the biting gnats and flies, we were thankful for the breezy day, despite the sand we found for days afterwards (I believe my ears were trying to form fossils of their own).

There’s also Vanessa the rock saw.

Of course, paleontologists also meticulously remove small amounts of stone around fossils, being careful not to harm them. They use a variety of tools to do this – read Inside a Paleontologist’s Field Kit to learn more.

Michael Mozdy is a Digital Science Writer for The Natural History Museum of Utah, a part of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Our mission is to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within it. In addition to housing outstanding exhibits for the public, NHMU is a research museum. Learn more.