A team from an Illinois museum recently discovered dinosaur fossils in a Wayne County quarry in southern Utah. The Burpee Museum, the Bureau of Land Management and others involved in the excavation project hope the Hanksville-Burpee quarry discovery will contribute to educating people about the ecosystem.

The BLM and the Burpee Museum have been working together in hopes the site will "provide for educational and recreational opportunities in coming years," according to a BLM Utah news release.

The quarry has already surrendered more than 100 dinosaur fossil remains. Matthew Bonnan, a paleobiologist in the Department of Biological Science of West Illinois University, said the results of the excavation are not typical.

Bonnan and members of his university along with North Illinois University, Highland Community College and Burpee Museum have been working on the site.

The Burpee Museum started looking for fossils from the late Jurassic period at the quarry on BLM Utah propery last year.

Bonnan said the initial team found a lot of bone fragments on the surface and thought the quarry would be promising. They began making plans to return and in fall 2007, and the team began excavation.

"The amount of material coming from this site is incredible," Bonnan said. About 100 bones were uncovered in just one week.

So far, the museum's team has discovered four long-necked sauropods, two carnivorous dinosaurs and a possible herbivorous Stegosaurus, according to the news release.

The Hanksville-Burpee quarry is only one of the many active excavation sites in Utah.

"Utah is a hotbed for dinosaurs," said Brooks Britt, paleontologist and professor at BYU.

Britt said the environment of the state fabricates the perfect combination of elements for dinosaur research.

Because erosion occurs fairly quickly in the desert atmosphere, the existence of a dinosaur becomes more readily evident.

Although it is sometimes hard to imagine, Utah has not always been a desert, and the Rocky Mountains did not always exist. At the time dinosaurs inhabited the area, it was lush with vegetation and greenery.

With the passing of time, the environment has changed to the surroundings seen today. Lack of plants is a plus for paleontologists because they offer no obstruction of the view of the ground, Britt said.

He said the whole adventure begins by searching the ground for bone fragments. However, paleontologists know the ideal conditions for dinosaur preservation, which helps to narrow down the area of exploration. Discovery of a dinosaur site starts with an educated guess.

The Hanksville-Burpee quarry in particular is a sand bar from a conglomeration of different rivers, Bonnan said. Dinosaurs would often get caught in the treacherous floods during the wet season and drown. Over time, their bodies would be transferred down the river to the sand bar, leaving pieces of bone behind as they went. In the Hanksville-Burpee quarry the trail is close to one-half mile long.

Although the Burpee team has made extensive discovery in Utah, BLM reported the quarry was closed on the June 20.

"There is only so much time in a year," Bonnan said, "but we have every intention of coming back next year."

Digging was discontinued so the team could travel to Montana and work on a quarry there.

Funding for the excavation has come mainly from the Burpee Museum as well as volunteers. Those interested in being a part of the discovery could accompany the team, providing both help and financial support. Bonnan described the current level of work as "an exploratory dig." He said the goal is to work with funding agencies and work toward receiving grants so they can return and continue.

Copyright Brigham Young University 26 Jun 2008