Although paleontology is most often associated with dinosaurs, scientists in this fascinating field study the history of all life on Earth, from bacteria to plants and animals. At Hagerman Fossil Beds, paleontologists work with fossils of animals that lived 4 to 3 million years ago, including mastodons, saber-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths.
Hagerman Fossil Beds paleontologist and intern examine the fossilized tusk of a mastodon.
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Paleontologists Dig Deep
What is paleontology, anyway? The word “paleontology” comes from the Greek root words “paleo,” which means “old or ancient,” and “ontology,” which means “the study of life.” String it all together, and paleontology is the study of ancient life! It is an investigation of the behaviors, ecosystems, and relationships that influence both extinct and extant life. Analyzing the Earth’s past is the first step in contextualizing present life— and predicting future trends as global conditions like climate continue to change.
Paleontologists breathe life into the past. Through collecting and identifying fossils, paleontologists can reconstruct ancient ecosystems and provide insight into life forms that we cannot observe today. They then share their findings with the world, often through publishing scientific papers, presenting at conferences, and even working at National Park Service sites.
What's it Like to be a Paleontologist?
While many paleontologists do spend time in the field collecting fossils, much of their work is done in the lab, preparing fossils, conducting research, and maintaining collections.
Top: Collecting fossils through excavation. Bottom: Using the surface collection method to find fossils.
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Collecting Fossils
Removing fossils from a field site is extremely careful and time-consuming work. Paleontologists and their teams use different techniques to collect fossils of all shapes and sizes, from tiny shells and teeth to massive mastodon bones. Not all techniques are used at each site; here are some examples of techniques used at Hagerman Fossil Beds:
dry sieving: Pouring sediment through a series of progressively smaller screens to find the smallest of specimens.
screen washing: Placing sediment into a screen washing box, soaking it, and gently agitating it under water until specimens are revealed.
surface collecting: kneeling down on the ground and checking the area carefully to find fossils that are partially visible from the surface.
picking: picking through sediment under a microscope with tweezers to find small fossils.
excavation: using tools including shovels, picks, and brushes to unearth fossils. Due to their fragility, fossils are not completely removed from the surrounding rock and are instead cast in a protective plaster shell ("jacket") before they can be removed from the site.
Collecting Data
Before a fossil is removed from a site, scientists must take very careful notes. They record GPS coordinates and plot the fossils on a map, take many photographs of the fossil and site, and write field notes about the fossil placement within the rock layers. These pieces of information are crucial to maintain scientific accuracy. During the first excavations of the Hagerman Horse Quarry, this type of data was not collected. Some important locations at Hagerman Fossil Beds are vaguely described as “four miles south of the horse quarry.” Due to the poor descriptions, it has become very difficult to find these sites again.
A preparator carefully removes sediment from the surface of fossil teeth.
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Fossil Prep
Back in the lab, a tool called an air scribe is used to remove additional rock surrounding the fossils. This can be very skilled work, and some paleontologists even specialize in fossil preparation. Skilled volunteers often play a vital role in helping to prepare fossils as well. Once fossils have been prepared, they can be used for research or display.
Research
By comparing fossils to previously discovered specimens and modern animals, paleontologists can infer many characteristics of an extinct animal. Diet and locomotion, for example, are often interpreted through these comparative methods. This can help us to learn more about not only that fossil species, but also about the evolution of species still living today.
Fossils can also be used to learn about the climate and ecology of ancient Hagerman. Fossil plants can tell us what type of vegetation existed here in the Pliocene. The types of animals present tell us that this area received much more precipitation than today and contained ample wetland, grassland, and woodland habitat.
Paleontologists work closely with geologists to estimate the age of fossils. At Hagerman, geologists collect samples of ancient volcanic ash, which exists between layers of rock above and below where fossils have been found. Geologists analyze the ash layers, and the estimated age of that ash in turn helps paleontologists to estimate the age of fossils.
Specimens in the Hagerman Fossil Beds collection
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Maintaining Collections
After being accessioned into a museum’s collections, a fossil is assigned a unique identification number and stored in temperature-controlled housing. Each fossil possesses its own record of relevant information such as descriptions, the place it was found, and its condition. A small number of fossils are used for display in museums, and many more remain in storage, where they can be used for scientific research. Today, the collection at Hagerman Fossil Beds contains nearly 70,000 individual fossil specimens!
Some fossil bones emit huge amounts of radon, a cancer-causing gas, so staying safe when storing or studying them is a real challenge. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument found ways to overcome the problem through upgraded safety technology, but its story is a cautionary one.
Locations:Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Channel Islands National Park, Chiricahua National Monument, City Of Rocks National Reserve, Colonial National Historical Park, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Death Valley National Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Mojave National Preserve, Mount Rainier National Park, Niobrara National Scenic River, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Pinnacles National Park, Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Vicksburg National Military Park, Waco Mammoth National Monument, Yellowstone National Parkmore »
Offices:Geologic Resources Division
The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths.
Radon is a dangerous radioactive gas that occurs naturally in fossils recovered from the Hagerman Fossil Beds NM. High concentrations of this element have caused storage problems for the paleontology collection ever since the monument’s establishment in 1988. Recent research has identified the most effective mitigation strategy to fix the problem, creating a safer work environment and reducing park energy costs.
Locations:Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Arches National Park, Badlands National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Blue Ridge Parkway, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Bryce Canyon National Park, Buffalo National River, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Capulin Volcano National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Chiricahua National Monument, City Of Rocks National Reserve, Colonial National Historical Park, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Glacier National Park, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Haleakalā National Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Kobuk Valley National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Mammoth Cave National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Missouri National Recreational River, Mojave National Preserve, Mount Rainier National Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Natural Bridges National Monument, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, Noatak National Preserve, Obed Wild & Scenic River, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Petrified Forest National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pinnacles National Park, Pipestone National Monument, Prince William Forest Park, Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Russell Cave National Monument, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Tonto National Monument, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Vicksburg National Military Park, Voyageurs National Park, Waco Mammoth National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Wind Cave National Park, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Wupatki National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve, Zion National Parkmore »
The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian.
Locations:Arches National Park, Badlands National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Vicksburg National Military Park, Yellowstone National Park, Zion National Parkmore »
All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. Park Paleontology news provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources.
Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the newsletter editor
Paleontologist Kari Prassack outlines the components of a multi-disciplinary effort to understand the prehistory of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
Paleontology intern Emily Thorpe interviewed nine National Park Service paleontologists to understand the diverse range of responsibilities and activities these scientists undertake in their fossil-related work.
Locations:Amistad National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Yucca House National Monument
All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. Park Paleontology news provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources.
Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the newsletter editor
