Denver Museum of Nature and Science finds dinosaur fossil underneath museum parking lot
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Denver Museum of Nature and Science says they've made an exciting discovery, and it was right underneath their own parking lot.
The museum said crews were drilling down hundreds of feet in an effort to see if they could use geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. While they were at it, the museum decided to use the opportunity to study the geology of the area they were drilling. Museum officials say they drilled down about 1,000 feet, removing the core to study.
During the excavation, the museum says they found a partial dinosaur fossil dating back 67.5 million years.
"This was a monumental discovery. Not only is it exceedingly rare to find a dinosaur fossil in a narrow drill core, but this fossil turned out to be the deepest and older dinosaur bone ever discovered within the Denver city limits," read a release by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
According to scientists, they believe the fossil belongs to a plant-eating dinosaur, similar to a Thescelosaurus or Edmontosaurus.
“This may be the most unusual dinosaur discovery I have ever been a part of,” said Dr. Patrick O’Connor, director of Earth & Space Sciences at the Museum. “Not only is it exceptionally rare to find any fossil as part of a drilling project, but the discovery provided an outstanding collaborative opportunity.”
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