How are fossils found and excavated?
Finding fossils is a combination of hard work, chance and knowing where to look! Fossils are mostly found where sedimentary rocks of the right age are exposed, such as river valleys, cliffs and hillsides, and human-made exposures such as quarries and road cuttings. Most of the time, fossils are only partially uncovered on site, then removed individually or in blocks before being taken back to a laboratory. How are fossils found? Fossils are mostly found where sedimentary rocks of the right age - which for dinosaurs is the Mesozoic - are exposed.