August 5, 2006 - Hauling Slabs up the Bluff Options

[Jason_Petula]

One thing about fossilized dinosaur bones that many people do not realize is that they are heavy! Once the top portion of the slab containing the fossils is covered with burlap and plaster, it is undercut allowing for the addition of more plaster. Then, the slab is cut and rolled over so the underside can be jacketed. The challenge then is to move this jacket up to the top of the bluff.

The slab we pulled to the top today weighs approximately 250 pounds. The technique for getting it atop the bluff is to place the jacket in a burlap sling and then count – 1, 2, 3. At that point, everyone gives the sling a pull to move the jacket a few feet up hill. Eventually the back breaking work pays off and the jacket is safely resting on the tundra where a helicopter can transport it at a later date.


Hauling this 250 pound jacket up a steep incline to the bluff's top was no easy task.