by Mike Graf
Meanwhile, Morgan, James, and Mom continued to meander along. With less than a mile left and over half an hour to go they began to slow down. The three Parkers continued to admire the scenery and occasionally went off path to check out gullies and washes. They were doing exactly that when, about fifty feet away from the trail, James saw something unusual sticking out of the ground.
“Hey, you guys!” James called out with nervous anticipation. Morgan and Mom jogged over to the gully for an inspection. Mom kneeled down for a closer look. Then she stood up and touched her chin. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “That is definitely not a rock.”
“You mean it’s a bone?” James replied, excitedly.
“My guess is a leg bone,” Mom said. She looked again and pointed it out to the twins. “You can see a bonelike pattern and texture in it, although it’s been fossilized into a rock over the eons. Also, there appears to be some symmetry—one side mirrors the other. That doesn’t happen with rocks.”
“So it’s a fossil, then?” Morgan asked to make sure.
“Yes,” Mom replied. “The bone is also stained dark with minerals. If it was a new bone from a bison or coyote it would still be white.”
“Wait a minute!” James exclaimed. “Look over here!”
Off to the side, a tangle of bonelike fossils was webbed together by the clay soils and rock. Morgan, James, and Mom inspected that area. “Unbelievable,” Mom said in a hushed, reverent tone.
“So, these are all from dinosaurs?” James asked, awed by their discovery.
“Not dinosaurs,” Mom replied, “because as I understand it, the Badlands area was under water during the age of the dinosaurs over sixty-five million years ago. Most likely it’s fossilized mammals from about thirty-three million years ago.”
“Wow!” Morgan exclaimed. “Should we dig one of the bones up, to get a better look at it?”
“No, leave them there,” Mom replied. “We’re supposed to report any fossils and leave them exactly where they were found.”
Then a new, deeper voice spoke. “It looks like you just stumbled upon the motherlode!”
Morgan and James jumped, hearing an intruder, but calmed instantly, once they realized it was just their dad.
The family began scouring the area nearby, looking for any more fossilized remains. But after a quick search of the immediate vicinity, they only found the one spot, laden with bones on top of bones, partially sticking out of the side and on top of the small gully.
“You know,” Mom realized, “without yesterday’s rains we might never have had the chance to discover this.”
James glanced back to the trail, about fifty feet away. “Even today we might have just walked right by it,” he concluded.
“What do we do now?” Morgan asked.
“Take a bunch of pictures,” Dad replied to Morgan. “Go for it. Take them of the bones and the whole area where you found them.”
Then Mom turned to James. “Can you pull out the map?”
James did so and he and Mom guesstimated their location on the Castle Trail and marked an X on that spot on the map. Then Mom said, “James, do you mind writing some notes down about some of the features in the area? We need to report to the rangers exactly where we found this.”
Dad chimed in. “Write down what parts of the body we think those bones are, too.” Dad paused and looked at Mom. “What do you think?”
“It’s hard to be certain about all of them without digging. But I’m pretty sure there are at least parts of vertebrae and limbs, and maybe some ribs, too. We need an expert out here.” Mom looked up at her family, beaming. “It’s a whole bed of bones, though!”
James wrote the possible bone types down in his notes.
The Parkers’ thorough documentation of their discovery took quite some time, delaying their hike out on the Castle Trail. By the time they left the site it was about 10:30 a.m., the time of the fossil talk. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad hustled along on the last section of trail.
As they walked, Morgan mentioned, “There’s no way I’ll ever not be able to find that site.”
“That’s good,” Mom said, “because we might have to.”
And James added. “Now we have two things to report to the ranger.”
At almost a quarter to eleven, the Parkers arrived at the trailhead parking lot. The family crossed the street and hustled over to a large group of people gathered at a shelter. “Boy,” Dad said, “it sure got busy around here!”
The family found a spot at the back of the group and listened to the ranger, Eric, give his presentation.
6 Incident Reports One and Two
The Parkers pressed further into the crowded gazebo area and inched closer to the ranger, whom they recognized from the cafe.
“So,” Eric went on, “a fossil is any evidence of a past animal or plant preserved in soil or rock. It might be an imprint or a footprint, not necessarily the organism itself. Or it could be actual replacement of bones, teeth, or skin.”
“Replicas?” someone in the group asked.
“Yes,” Eric replied. “Let me explain. Fossils can be formed by several different methods. But the primary process is permineralization. And this is the only one we’ll focus on today.”
PRESERVING THE PAST
Fossils can include molds where an impression of the organism is preserved in the ground or a hole. Cast fossils occur when that hole is filled in with soils and minerals and still retains the shape of the organism. Trace fossils are fossilized nests, burrows, and footprints, but not the animal part itself. True fossils are formed by the actual animal or part of the animal.
“Permineralization is the replacement of the original organic matter, or living tissue, with material from the surrounding rock. It works like this. An animal dies and sinks to the bottom of a lake, pond, or stream, or any body of water. This is important because to be preserved in the soil, it must be buried at least within a fairly recent time period after its death.
“Scavengers such as microorganisms and insects devour the tissues before they are buried in sand, silt, or, as it was around here, volcanic ash. Soil layers keep building, making a protective barrier from any further damage that can be inflicted on the animal’s remains. More and more sediments build up over time.
“And that’s when permineralization starts. As the animal’s skeleton decays, mineral-laden water passes through, replacing the bone with rocklike minerals. Eventually the whole skeleton (or teeth or bones) is now a rocklike replica of its original self. The fossil resembles the original creature, but it’s really sedimentary rock. All of its original color is also gone.
“Then sun, wind, rain, and ice start to erode or wash away the rock layers, bringing the fossil closer and closer to the surface.
“And that’s where paleontology comes into play! And I’ve got a few of our fossil friends right in here.”
Eric reached into a box and pulled out a fossil. “This leg bone,” he held the fossil up, “is part of a Mesohippus. It was a three-toed horse that lived around here. We know of their horse ancestry because their teeth and limb structure resemble today’s horses.”
Eric pulled out another. “This is part of the jaw of a Subhyracodon. It also lived in this region. It was a plant eater considered to be an early rhino, related to today’s rhinos by its teeth.”
“And finally,” Eric grabbed another ancient bone from the box. “This creature was a saber-toothed cat.” The ranger showed a partial jaw. “The saber-tooth lived in the vicinity although its fossil is rarely found—we only have a few remains of the saber-tooth. There were also different species of the cat and they ranged in size from a bobcat to a small mountain lion. They were fast runners and sprang upon their prey.”
“So,” Eric built to his conclusion. “Badlands fossils are a window into the past. And we never know where they’ll resurface. In the early 1990s two fellows from Iowa found a fossilized backbone near the Conata Picnic area. They reported it as they should have on a form like thi
s.”
All four Parkers inched closer and gazed at the paper Eric held up. Then they glanced at each other in anticipation.
“We thought it would take just a few days to dig up the fossils in that area. But, fifteen years and nineteen thousand fossils later, the dig finally concluded!”
“And by the way, paleontologists like to go out searching after rains like we had yesterday. A little erosion can go a long way to helping find some ancient bones!”
James and Morgan looked at each other, smiling.
“Consider walking out on the short Fossil Exhibit Trail to see some cast replicas of what we’ve found out here . . . and enjoy your stay in the Badlands.”
The group clapped for Eric. He stood around and answered some questions while many of the visitors inspected the fossils he brought along.
Meanwhile, as people slowly left, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad urgently inched their way closer to the front. Once they got there, they patiently looked over the fossils and waited for Eric to finish chatting with some of the other visitors.
Finally, Morgan took another quick step toward Eric and the family followed. Morgan glanced at Mom and Dad. “Go ahead,” Mom said. “Tell him.”
Morgan took a deep breath and said, “We saw something wrong going on near the junction of the Castle and Medicine Root Trails.”
“You mean the dirt road area?”
“Yep,” Morgan replied.
“What did you see?”
“It was real early this morning when we were there. Two guys were loading rock hammers and packs into their car, and other supplies. Also, my twin brother,” Morgan pointed toward James, “saw buckets of rock they had in the back before they closed it.”
Eric clenched his jaw. He took a deep breath, swallowed, and said, “You’re certain you saw all this?”
“Yes,” Mom stepped up. “And the two guys were acting sneaky about getting out of there. That’s why I wrote down their license plate and car type.” Mom held up a piece of paper with the information.
“Okay,” Eric said, grabbing the paper. “Hang on a second.”
Eric got out his hand radio. He called in to park dispatch all the information from the Parkers, and they relayed back that the suspect party wasn’t permitted to be out there on a dig and that a law enforcement patrol was going to be sent out to scour the area. Officers were also going to be notified and given the make of the car.
When Eric got off the radio, he explained to the Parkers, “You did the right thing by reporting this. It sounds like some people were out poaching bones this morning and that definitely is a problem out here. That car was not registered to be on any paleontological dig. Thank you for letting us know!”
Then James stepped forward. “I think we also need one of those papers,” he pointed.
“A site report form?” Eric handed one to James. “Was there something else you saw?”
James told Eric about the bones he and his family stumbled upon near the Castle Trail.
Eric listened intently. Finally, when James finished, Eric said, “Boy you sure had quite a hike this morning.”
Morgan stepped up with her camera. “We have pictures! Do you want to see?”
“I’d love to see them.”
Morgan flipped through the photos of their discovery. Meanwhile, James, Mom, and Dad filled out the site report form, including marking an X on the map provided, where they thought the fossils were near the trail. They also wrote down their campsite and cell-phone numbers.
When Morgan was finished showing the photos, Eric looked up at the bright sun and pondered. He glanced at his watch. “It’s approaching noon. And it’s awfully hot. And as you know there’s not much shade out there.”
“We’d love to show you it!” James exclaimed.
Eric laughed. “Yep, you read my mind; that’s what I was getting to. But, as much as I’d like to go out there and see everything, I’m not really the one you should show all this to. Badlands has a paleontologist on hand and I think she would love to check it out! I don’t know about right now though. It’s not the best time to be out there.”
Eric looked at the Parkers. “How far off the trail would you say the fossils are?”
Morgan estimated, and then answered. “About fifty feet.”
“Do you think anyone else might be able to see them?”
“I don’t think so,” Mom joined in. “It’s in a gully and you can’t see them from the trail. We just happened to wander over there.”
“Well, it’s not like there’s going to be lots of people hiking this afternoon anyway,” Eric added. “So how about we set up a time to go out there first thing in the morning. I’ll check with our chief paleontologist to see if that’ll work. Will you still be around?”
James answered. “Yes,” and Mom and Dad concurred.
“Is seven a.m. right here at the trailhead okay? And if that doesn’t work with our paleontologist, we’ll leave a note at your campsite.”
“Sounds great,” Dad replied.
The Parkers said good-bye to Eric. They decided to take the short walk along the Fossil Exhibit Trail. Right next to the walkway on pedestals there were cast replicas of an ammonite, a marine invertebrate animal; titanothere, an alligator; Mesohippus, Hesperocyon, an ancient species of dogs; nimravid, a mammalian carnivore; and an oreodont, a hog-like plant eater.
When they got to the car, Mom turned to her family and said. “I can sure see why a paleontologist would want to be stationed out here.”
The Parkers drove back to the visitor center. “A perfect time to get out of the sun,” Dad mentioned. There they watched the park movie and toured the displays, learning more about the Badlands, its animals, the fossils found in the region, and the early explorers of the area.
Afterwards Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad went into camp and lay low for the remainder of the afternoon, waiting in their tent for the heat to subside and the sun’s intensity to wane.
While in the tent, James pulled out his journal.
This is James Parker reporting.
There must have been a whole lot going on here about thirty-three or so million years ago. We just toured the visitor center and all their fossil displays. The prehistoric mammals of the region were incredible!
And I think we may have discovered the fossil remains of a bunch of them. We may also have reported the theft of the remains of some more.
I hope they catch those two guys, those bone-fossil thieves. It was pretty eerie witnessing them get away with a trunkful of rocks, which were really fossils, at least we think.
Speaking of getting away, we will be on our way, tomorrow over to the Black Hills and its many attractions, but most of all to Wind Cave and Mount Rushmore.
More soon from South Dakota!
7 The Prairie Dog Whisperer
Later that afternoon the Parkers left camp and headed out on the badlands scenic drive. As they drove west, the prairie grasses on the right waved with the wind and the buttes and peaks of the Badlands pointed toward the sky on their left.
The road weaved in and around the heart of the Badlands and over a couple of passes. They pulled over at Yellow Mounds overlook so Morgan could take some pictures of the yellowish bands of clay among the badlands. Then Mom turned down the dirt road toward Conata Picnic area.
Once there the Parkers piled out and inspected the area around where the “Pig Dig” had occurred.
PIG DIG
The National Park Service and cooperating scientists recently completed a multi-year dig at Badlands called the Pig Dig. The name was derived from fossils discovered there that were initially believed to be from an ancient piglike animal called an Archaeotherium. Later those bones were proven to be from a hornless rhino-like creature called a Subhyracodon, but the name stuck anyway. In the end both ancient rhinos and pigs were found at the site.
The dig started in 1993 when two visitors from Iowa saw a large backbone sticking out of the ground near the Conata Picnic area. The dig eventual
ly led to the excavation of more than nineteen thousand bones and it took fifteen years. Remains from up to eighteen species were discovered at the dig, including a bobcat-sized saber-toothed cat, turtles, tiny deerlike animals, Mesohippus, Archaeotherium, and the Subhyracodon.
Some of the specimens were partially articulated, meaning the animal skeletons were partially intact, which is very rare. Other fossils were found isolated from the rest of the animal’s remains. With so much all in one place, paleontologists believe the site was probably a prehistoric watering hole and many of the animals got trapped in the mud, leading to their deaths.
Due to the abundant remains there, scientists now have a better understanding of how fossils are preserved and how bones accumulate in one area.
“It’s unbelievable how much they found out here,” Mom said. “The hills seem so barren now.”
“I wonder what will end up happening with what we discovered,” Morgan said.
“I guess we’ll know a little more about that tomorrow,” Dad added. After wandering around the Conata area, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad returned to their car. Their next stop was the crowded Pinnacles overlook.
Once there Mom noticed all the parked cars and people wandering around. “There must be quite a view from here,” Mom mentioned while pulling in and looking for a spot to park.
A moment later the family left the car and meandered along various short pathways to views overlooking the badlands. At one spot the family gazed down at a dense juniper forest. A sign there pointed out some of the birds of the area.