Under concrete and asphalt, vestiges of a disappeared world still sleep. In Denver, a simple energy feasibility study was enough to recall it: a fragment of dinosaur vertebra, 67.5 million years old, was extracted from a deep drilling made in the parking lot of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. While Colorado is known for its emblematic paleontological sites, this discovery surprises by its location and its depth, more than 230 meters underground.
An unexpected discovery during an energy project in Denver
Last January, a project took a completely unexpected turn under the parking lot of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The initial objective was, however, most pragmatic. It was a question of exploring the potential of the basement to supply the building with geothermal energy. He wanted to reduce his natural gas dependence. The teams therefore carried out a deep drilling of 233 meters, in order to extract rock carrots and analyze the geological composition of the crossed layers. It was by examining one of these samples, barely 6.3 cm in diameter, that a singular fragment appeared. It was a fossilized vertebra, a vestige of a herbivore dinosaur dinner of 67.5 million years.
© Denver Museum of Nature and ScienceThe fossilized vertebra discovered.
The surprise was total, even for scientists familiar with the rich paleontological past of Colorado. “” Finding a dinosaur bone in a borehole is like succeeding in a hole from the moon. It's incredibly rare “Said James Hagadorn, a geology curator at the museum, still amazed. It must be said that the probability of taking such a fossil from a drilling carrot of such small diameter borders on the impossible. To date, only two similar discoveries have been documented worldwide. This thus gives this event an exceptional dimension.
A window on the Cretaceous Denver
The small vertebra fragment offers a rare overview of what the region of Denver was 67.5 million years ago. At that time, the area was nothing like the urban and dry landscape that we know today. It was part of a large swampy, lush and humid ecosystem, bathed by a subtropical climate. It is in this dense decor in vegetation that the animal lived whose fossilized bone was found, explains to CBSPatrick O'Connor, Director of Earth and Space of the Museum. This reconstruction is based on the analysis of the rock surrounding the fossil and the presence of remains of fossilized plants in the same drilling carrot.
© Gary Stabb, Johnson and Raynolds
At the end of the Cretaceous, Denver had a warm tropical climate.
Researchers evoke a Cretaceous Denver. Flooded plains and wooded areas offered an ideal habitat to a varied fauna. This fragment of bone, although modest, tells a story of several tens of millions of years, when the dinosaurs still reigned on earth. Bob Raynolds, researcher in earth sciences at the museum for 35 years, does not hesitate to qualify the discovery of “nothing less than magical”. For him, this geological sample acts as a temporal capsule which reveals an unsuspected tropical past.
Between scientific surprise and the paleontological context of Denver
The Colorado subsoil has long been a land of major paleontological discoveries. The Denver region has already revealed emblematic vestiges: bones of Tyrannosaurus rex, fragments of triceratops. We also cite more than 250 fossilized fingerprints visible in Dinosaur Ridge, west of the city. However, the fossil exhumed under the parking lot of the Denver Museum stands out. As emphasizes Smithsonian Magazinethis is the ” deeper and oldest discovery of dinosaur fossil made inside the city limits ». The exceptional depth – 233 meters – gives this fragment a unique scientific value in the local context.
The reception of the paleontological community oscillates between enthusiasm and caution. Erin Lacount, responsible for educational programs in Dinosaur Ridge, does not hide his joy. In an exchange quoted by The Guardianshe writes: ” It is absolutely legitimate and very cool! For her, the simple fact that a dinosaurs museum has found a fossil under her own soil adds to the irony and the educational interest of the event. But not all of them share this enthusiasm. Thomas Williamson, paleontology curator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, relativizes withABC News. “” It's a surprise, but scientifically it's not so exciting ». According to him, an isolated fragment, without broader stratigraphic context or possibility of precise identification, limits the scope of the discovery. This balance between admiration and critical analysis reflects the particular status of this fossil. This rare and symbolic find is part of a region already rich in witnesses to Cretaceous.
A unique piece now exposed fueling our imagination
Today, the small vertebra rests wisely behind a window. It is only a few meters from the ground which protected it for 67 million years. Visitors discover it with the same astonishment as researchers when they saw it appear in a simple drilling carrot. There is a tasty irony in this story. A museum dedicated to dinosaurs ignored one of the people. It evokes almost an episode forgotten to Denver, the last dinosaurusthis cartoon from the 1980s when a young dinosaur suddenly arose in modern life, disconcerting humans.
James Hagadorn himself admits, not without humor, that he would prefer to “drill the whole parking lot” to find the rest of the animal. But the daily reality of modern infrastructure prevents it. “” We need our parking spaces ». This pragmatic remark perfectly illustrates the shock between geological time and the rhythm of urban life.
This find recalls that the earth, under its asphalt coat, retains its secret archives. The cities rise, the parking lots are spread out. But the deep layers always house ancient stories, sometimes closer than we imagine. As Bob Raynolds says, these past pieces offer us ” A unique overview of the world that existed under our feet ». Perhaps one day, by digging elsewhere for a common technical project, other surprises will spring. Provising as well that natural history likes to hide where you least expect it. And in the background, what could be more symbolic than a dinosaur living quietly in the parking lot of a museum that celebrates its memory?
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
