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Rosie Research
rosieresearch.com › home › blog › find fossils in your backyard
Find Fossils in your Backyard - Rosie Research
March 26, 2018 - We lucked out and found some deer skull bones and teeth in the forest while we were on a “fossil” hunt, but if you can’t find bones you can always take the time to look for cool bugs, interesting leaves, fun rocks, and the like. I put “fossil” hunt in quotes because we live in WA state, and only one dinosaur fossil has not been found here before. I know this because I checked an interactive map showing where are fossils found in the world.
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Answers in Genesis
answersingenesis.org › fossils › how-are-fossils-formed › look-for-fossils-in-your-backyard
Look for Fossils in Your Backyard | Answers in Genesis
The greatest available repository of fossil information is the Paleobiology Database (paleodb.org). It is far from a record of every known fossil, but it is growing daily towards that end.
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Quora
quora.com › Can-I-find-a-fossil-in-my-backyard
Can I find a fossil in my backyard? - Quora
Answer (1 of 8): Really it depends on where you live; for instance where I live usually land developers, construction crews will find fossils from the Neogene and Paleogene as they are grating the soil. Odds are against me or my neighbors finding anything since hills are cut and scrapped to fill ...
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Popular Mechanics
popularmechanics.com › science › dinosaurs › prehistoric treasures could be hiding in your own backyard. here’s what you should look for.
Can You Find Fossils in Your Backyard? Experts Explain How.
September 17, 2025 - Garden State’s history of housing prehistoric finds and the · extinction layer that makes the Edelman Fossil Park rife with discoveries. Ancient Fossils Found Behind a New Jersey Lowe’s ... Once you’re done sifting through the dirt and rocks in your yard for fossils, you can read up on all things dinosaurs, archaeology, and scientific breakthroughs. Join · Pop Mech Pro today for exclusive access to all of our
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LearningMole
learningmole.com › home › stem › backyard fossil dig: a beginner’s guide to at-home paleontology
Backyard Fossil Dig: A Beginner’s Guide to At-Home Paleontology - LearningMole
February 15, 2025 - When you embark on a backyard fossil dig, your ability to identify and analyse fossils is crucial. It helps you understand what kind of remains you’ve discovered, whether they are bones of dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus or plant fossils indicative of an ancient landscape. Bones are the most sought-after finds in palaeontology.
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YouTube
youtube.com › the great courses
Fossil Hunting 101 | Where to Look for Fossils, and How to Find Them - YouTube
Want to stream more content like this… and 1,000’s of courses, documentaries & more? 👉 👉 Start Your Free Trial of Wondrium https://tinyurl.com/335prcy6 👈...
Published   July 18, 2022
Views   98K
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Umich
umorf.ummp.lsa.umich.edu › wp › mis-backyard-fossils
MI’s Backyard Fossils – UMORF | University of Michigan Online Repository of Fossils
This is an identification guide meant to help place the amazing ancient finds you may have found hiding in your own backyard. The state of Michigan used to be covered by a warm, shallow sea and was later an unforgiving glacial landscape. Common fossils found here are trilobites, corals, sea ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/nostupidquestions › could i start digging in my backyard and find dinosaur fossils?
r/NoStupidQuestions on Reddit: could i start digging in my backyard and find dinosaur fossils?
October 30, 2020 -

how far would i have to dig? what would i look for? could i sell them? to whom? could it be a legitimate source of income (primary or secondary)?

i was watching a show earlier today abt ranchers who dig up bones on the side to help support them and their families through winter months and i got curious if anyone could do it

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Anyone could find them, but the bones are not everywhere, there are specific geological conditions that made it possible for the bones to be preserved. So if you are lucky and sleep right next to a dinosaur graveyard or some special ancient mud field, you can find the bones yourself. Te depth you need to dig to find something deoends on these geological condtions too.
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Technically you could but it really depends on where you live. Certain areas are better than others for example in the U.S most fossils tend to be found in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana but they can really be found everywhere. Moving on it also depends on where your place was built and how, depending on your neighbor hood your neighborhood could have been built on top of a layer of fill in which case you have to dig below that layer. Country side doesn’t really contend with much fill IRCC. Most of the time your finding fossils along cliffs or desertish areas like the badlands and stuff areas with lots of rock layers exposed that’s the easiest place to find fossils. Your looking for layers of rocks What your looking for are rocks and rocks with imprints in them. Sometimes the rock might be smooth and you have to crack them sometimes it might be bone fragment but that’s mostly what your looking for. https://ansp.org/~/media/Files/ans/programs/paleopalooza-2020/How%20to%20identify%20if%20you%20have%20a%20fossil.ashx?la=en basic fossil I’d for kids 4. You could sell the fossils to lots of places and you could sell them to anyone. Theres fossil collectors and just general people. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-find-a-dinosaur.html here’s one more link for a good read
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/geology › what are the chances in finding fossils in my garden?
r/geology on Reddit: What are the chances in finding fossils in my garden?
January 6, 2024 -

So we just built a house (18mo ago) on the west coast of Scotland, the plot is on a gradient so we had to cut into the hillside. The pictures are of the exposed rock face. I've got two young kids who are both expressing an interest in the sciences and I was wondering if there's any likelihood we could find something cool if we chipped away at it. We're right on the coast about 35m above sea level.

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That looks like conglomerate, which is deposited in high-energy environments. You probably won’t find fossils as they likely were not preserved, but there may be sands/shales nearby that do have some fossils. Any idea how old these rocks are?
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Oh my god, there’s a lot of nonsense in these replies! As some people have noted, this is a conglomerate, made of lots of pebbles and cobbles. They are mostly formed in high energy river environments, and so typically lack the quiet, low oxygen conditions that really help fossils form. But you can still the actual pebbles from a hundreds of millions of years old river falling out of that rock face. So that’s pretty cool on its own. Secondly, to correct a bunch of the nonsense: If u/MushyPeas4Life (quality username) is right and these are the Devonian basal conglomerates, there are going to be plenty of nice fossils within a 10 minute drive of your house! The Devonian changes from rocks that look like this to rocks that have lots of fossils pretty fast. In general, wherever you are in the world, if you’re looking at sedimentary rocks, there will be plenty of fossils if not where you are, then nearby. Fossils are mad common! Most people just don’t know what they’re looking for… Lastly, you might not have fossils, but you do have something else geologically interesting going on in those rocks. That big brown vertical stripe in the second picture is something different to the rest of the rock. Hard to be sure without closer picture, but there’s a good chance that’s either a fault or an igneous dyke. Which would be evidence of ancient earthquakes or volcanoes, depending which! (And to be to be clear and set your mind at rest, the earthquakes or volcanic risk are both long gone…)
Find elsewhere
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Tallahassee Magazine
tallahasseemagazine.com › finding-fossils-in-your-own-backyard
You Can Find Fossils Right in Your Own Backyard - Tallahassee Magazine
July 26, 2018 - Parking lots: Find fossilized remains of invertebrate marine life (likely from the Avon Park area of Central Florida) in the crushed limestone gravel found in many Tallahassee parking lots. ... Peter T. Reinwald, Janecia Britt, ... Sign up to receive the latest Tallahassee Magazine offers, stories and event invitations directly to your inbox.
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BackyardBoss
backyardboss.net › home › gardening › what to do if you find a fossil in your garden
Found a Fossil in Your Garden? Here’s What It Means and What to Do
May 18, 2025 - There are a few different things you can do after discovering an ancient specimen in your backyard that can help preserve the specimen and contribute to the world of science! Close-up of multiple leaf fossils, capturing the essence of ancient plant life with detailed texturesImage credits: Nuntiya via Shutterstock · The excitement of finding what looks like a fossil while gardening can be overwhelming, but your first move should be caution.
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Live Science
livescience.com › animals › extinct species › dinosaurs
How to Discover a Dinosaur in 5 Easy Steps | Live Science
August 23, 2011 - Next, you and your crew canvass the area looking for exposed spots rocky outcrops that aren't covered in soil, for example. Scour the area for bone fragments. If you don't find any, repeat until you do. Once you find a bone fragment, dig deeper (be gentle!). Be ready for a long stay Sereno says digs can last up to four months. Step 4. Get them home · Dinosaur fossils are typically too heavy for a plane a cache from a single animal can weigh several tons.
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Wikihow Fun
wikihow-fun.com › hobbies and crafts › rocks and minerals › how to dig for fossils: 13 steps (with pictures) - wikihow fun
How to Dig for Fossils: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow Fun
December 27, 2021 - For instance, you might search "public fossil digging sites near Little Rock, Arkansas." ... Talk to your local natural history museum. Your natural history museum will likely be connected with paleontologists who go on digs around your area. They can give you tips on where to look or when there will be guided tours.[4] X Research source · Ask at the help desk about guided tours. You might also find you have a local geological survey group that hosts guided digs.[5] X Research source
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Smithsonian Magazine
smithsonianmag.com › smart-news › find-a-dinosaur-in-your-backyard-its-all-yours-19885792
Find a Dinosaur In Your Backyard? It’s All Yours
November 16, 2013 - Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote. ... Get our newsletter! Get our newsletter! Paleontologists have previously found a bounty of dinosaur fossils in the Hell Creek formation, including Tyrannosaurus Rex.
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American Museum of Natural History
amnh.org › explore › ology › paleontology › finding-fossils2
Finding Fossils | AMNH
Anyone can find fossils. This handy how-to guide tells you where to look and what to do.
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Royal Tyrrell Museum
tyrrellmuseum.com › research › found_a_fossil
Found a Fossil? | Royal Tyrrell Museum
... There are two methods of collecting fossils. Surface collecting: collecting isolated fossils that are clearly on the surface of the ground. This method is only allowed on provincial Crown land, and on private land with the landowner's permission. Excavating: dislodging or digging up fossils ...
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Oregon State University Extension Service
extension.oregonstate.edu › ask-extension › featured › what-are-these-fossils-i-found-my-backyard
What are these fossils I found in my backyard? | OSU Extension Service
April 12, 2024 - The fossil shells appear to be marine. There are a couple of possible scenarios for how they arrived. They could be bedrock, deposited there in the geologic past or had help in their transport, coming from marine deposits on the coast. This webinar is for students interested in learning about marine-related majors, minors and options at Oregon State University. ... List of resources compiled by Carrie Gordon. ... Want to learn more about this topic?
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WTTW
wttw.com › prehistoric-road-trip › detours › where-to-find-fossils-in-your-state
Where to Find Fossils in Your State | Detours | Prehistoric Road Trip | WTTW Chicago
June 18, 2020 - Discover fossils from the Devonian period at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Southern Indiana, right across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. Depending on river levels, you can scan fossil beds for fossilized shells and corals. If you don’t feel like getting your shoes muddy, venture indoors to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which has a dedicated dinosaur exhibit with a fossil prep lab.
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NYTimes
nytimes.com › 2019 › 09 › 10 › magazine › how-to-find-fossils.html
How to Find Fossils - The New York Times
September 10, 2019 - You don’t need fancy equipment: a large flathead screwdriver, a hammer, a two-gallon bucket, a shovel and plastic bags. Some people bring toilet paper for wrapping delicate fossils, but McCall tends to tuck the special ones into the pockets of her fishing vest. Always label your bags with the collection site and date.
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JustAnswer
justanswer.com › general › ofu5s-found-fossil-something-digging.html
Identifying Backyard Fossils: How to Recognize Your Find
You are very welcome as glad to be of assistance with your request today. ... Ive found a thick yellow and pipe while digging in my garden. seems to be attached to the house from the street. what · I’m trying to find out what this rock is that I found in Pennsylvanias Casselman river in Somerset County. It looks like · I’m looking into the possibility of a reading lamp for while propped up in bed. There is a nightstand next to the bed. ... Difficulty distinguishing fossils from rocks and uncertainty about identification steps.