Fossils are the remains or impression of a prehistoric plant or animal embedded in rock and preserved in petri?ed form (that is, changed into a stony substance). But did you ever wonder what happens when someone finds one?
The first step after finding a fossil fragment is to gently brush away the loose dirt around it to see if there is any more of the specimen buried in the ground.
Tools such as awls, rock hammers and chisels are then used by experts to remove any rock around the bones and see how much of the skeleton is present.
Special glue (called Vinac glue) is applied to the cracks and fractures in the bones to hold the fossil together before a trench is dug around the bones to create a pedestal for them to sit on.
The fossil is then covered with wet paper towels and plaster-coated canvas strips. The wet paper protects the fossil from the plaster, which dries into a hard 'jacket'.
The pedestal beneath the fossil is then carefully cut away. The fossil is rolled over onto its 'jacketed' side and the other side is 'jacketed' too. Finally, safe in its hard plaster shell, it is sent off to a lab or museum of natural history for further study.
Click on the image below to watch a slideshow on more amazing fossils.
