Every year, researchers from the Natural History Museum make their way to a dig site in Utah hoping to unearth dinosaur bones. LA Times columnist Patt Morrison joined the dig this year, along with paleontologist Dr. Luis M. Chiappe. Morrison and Chiappe joined Lisa McRee on “LA Times Today” to talk about what they discovered. 

What You Need To Know

  • Researchers dug in eastern Utah between the Colorado River and Interstate 70
  • Chiappe revealed that the team excavated a stegosaurus skeleton, and team will bring it back to the Natural History Museum to study it before it goes on display
  • Chiappe mentioned that the effects of climate change are evident as researchers carry out their work
  • "If you have a lake that's now dried, you get all these rocks exposed and you see things that before were submerged," he said

The dig took place “in the middle of nowhere,” Chiappe explained. Researchers dug in eastern Utah between the Colorado River and Interstate 70. Morrison talked about the conditions of the expedition. 

“You go down, I will call it mostly a trail rather than a road... For three miles, it takes an hour to get there. It was like a terrible ride in an amusement park. You go down, you go up, and you get stuck a little bit. Then once you get there, you have to climb up the hillside to get to the site of the actual dig. They actually entrusted me with some of the tools so I could help speed the process along by removing some of these bones and making sure that they’re secure to get down the mountainside to the base camp,” she recalled. 

Morrison shared how it felt to watch the researchers work. 

“It’s delicate work, but it’s massive work at the same time. I was so impressed by how they were able to use different kinds of tools. From actual drills — you could hear the drills across the canyon — to these little tiny picks and brushes that you would think to excavate around these 65 million year old bones. It felt very intimate, sitting with this creature who had died right here 65 million years ago,” she said. 

Chiappe revealed that the team excavated a stegosaurus skeleton. His team will bring it back to the Natural History Museum to study it before it goes on display.

“There’s a lot of research that needs to happen [so] this particular animal won’t go immediately on display. But next year, we’re bringing another Jurassic dinosaur that’s called Natalie. And it’s an incredible mount that we’re going to be putting in our new welcome center NHM Commons,” he said. 

Chiappe mentioned that the effects of climate change are evident as researchers carry out their work.

“If you have a lake that’s now dried, you get all these rocks exposed and you see things that before were submerged. That would be a positive side for paleontology. Terrible for the environment, of course. But, this summer heat wave is because of climate change. We know that perfectly well. And we had to endure this horrible temperatures there about 120 degrees or something like that, which certainly does not make our work easier,” he said.

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