Archeology and Paleontology

12 human footprints belonging to one adolecent and possibly female teenager. — Archeologists, paleontologists, and other specialists worked together to document and determine a date for these Ice Age human footprints discovered in White Sands National Park, New Mexico.
NPS photo.

Introduction

The disciplines of paleontology and archeology are often viewed interchangeably based in part on the fact that both disciplines study old objects preserved at or near the Earth’s surface. However, each field of study is distinct in terms of their scientific focus, academic training, and resource management practices.

Side-by-Side Comparison

	Archeology	Paleontology
Scientific study of	human history and culture in the past	non-human prehistoric life and evolution
Works on a time scale of	23,000 years (and counting!) of human life	3.5 Billion years of history of life on Earth
Collects evidence such as	human-made objects, structures, sites, and landscapes	remains and impressions of prehistoric plants and animals
Finds sites	on the Earth’s surface, buried in soil or sediment, or under water	on the surface, buried in soil or sediment, or embedded in rock
Curates collections	for future use and study	for future use and study
Reveals information	found no other way	found no other way
Related fields include	anthropology, biology, ethnography, geology, history, chemistry, zoology	biology, geology
Studies dinosaurs?	no	yes

Methods and Tools

Photo of 2 people working on an archeological dig site. — NPS archaeologists work at the Matcherak Lake site in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
NPS photo.

Paleontology and archeology share some common principles, methodologies and practices. The standards employed by both paleontologists and archeologists are the basis for preservation of important scientific information that is associated with the fossils and archeological assemblages. The rigorous and systematic data collection during field excavations enables current and future scientists to analyze data that supports research and management of non-renewable resources.

Similar Fieldwork

The field collection or excavation of archeological and fossil sites often employ similar tools, techniques and technologies to support research and resource management. In the photos below, you can see archeologists and paleontologists using a similar grid method to map their sites and similar excavation tools for digging and sorting materials.

Paleontological excavation using a grid system.

Left image
Paleontological dig to expose fossil bones and rock matrix (Upper Triassic Chinle Formation—deposited around 220 million years ago) in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.
Credit: NPS photo. (2021)

Right image
Archeological dig at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, North Carolina, the site of America’s first English colony, established in the 1580s.
Credit: NPS photo. (2009)

Can Paleontological Resources be Archeological Resources?

Occasionally, archaeologists find paleontological resources in archeological contexts. How does this happen? People in the past were collectors, too. For example, fossils have been found at pre-contact Native American sites. People collected objects they found and kept them intact or modified them for cultural purposes. A mastdon tooth was discovered archeologically in Benjamin Franklin’s basement in Philadelphia, part of his natural history collection.

A bead necklace coiled on a wooden table top. — fossil crinoid bead necklace
Native American bead necklace made of coral and crinoid fossils.
NPS photo.

Examples include:

Archeological Resources—Fossils are found as tools, jewelry or other spiritual items in National Park Service archeological sites.
Ethnographic Stories and Legends—Ethnographic stories and legends told by American Indians and “mountain men” of the American West also incorporate fossils found within areas now administered by the National Park Service.
Prehistoric and Historic Structures—Many building stones found in prehistoric and historic structures of the National Park Service display fossils including body fossils, trace fossils and petrified wood.
Other Documented Historical Occurrences—Various archives, journals, memoirs and photographs include numerous other historical accounts of fossils in areas of the National Park Service.

Stewardship

Archeological and paleontological sites are fragile, one-of-a-kind, and vulnerable to careless visitation, over-use, looting, and vandalism. The National Park Service relies on visitors like you to help preserve and protect these unique resources for future visitors to appreciate and enjoy. Be sure to practice Leave No Trace principles whenever you are in the outdoors.Of particular importance at archeological and paleontological sites is to:

Honor NPS rules about where to go or not to go
Leave what you find, including artifacts or fossils
Avoid digging into the ground or moving rocks to make fire circles
Travel and camp on durable surfaces
Share what you’ve learned with others

A great deal of the information from artifacts or fossils depends on scientific field observations of their context, meaning their natural or original position and orientation. If you discover something in a park, leave it in place, take a photo and note the location, and share what you found with a park ranger.Archeological and paleontological resources are protected on National Park Service lands by federal law. The Antiquities Act (link) is where it all started. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 - Archeology (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) protects archeological resources and the [paleontology law link] protects paleontological resources.

If you see signs of vandalism or someone acting inappropriately at a park, please contact a ranger at the park or submit a tip to NPS Investigative Services.

Introduction

Side-by-Side Comparison

Archeology

Paleontology