McDonald’s Fossil Preparation Lab

Once preparators complete their extractions, the finished fossils are examined and compared with related fossils, forming the data for a published study—the final step in the process.

What’s behind the glass inside the lab?

McDonald’s Fossil Preparation Lab

Watch as stone slabs become prehistoric scientific specimens.

Fossils

Included with General Admission

All ages

The famous vertebrate fossils in our collection began as massive hunks of rock. Watch preparators ready fossilized specimens for display or research in the McDonald’s Fossil Preparation Laboratory.

After scientists discover fossils out in the field, they carefully package the fossils at the site for their journey back to the Fossil Prep Lab. Then, a team of preparators and volunteers begin extracting the fossils from their stone tombs—a job that can take months (or years, for a large specimen; SUE the T. rex took 12 person-years!).

See the steps in this delicate process firsthand as you watch preparators at work in the Fossil Prep Lab.

Lab Highlights

Tables that support 2,000-pound rocks

State-of-the-art microscopes

Miniature versions of jackhammers, circular saws, and sandblasters that shoot baking soda (strong enough to whittle away rock but gentle enough to protect precious fossils)

A special exhaust system to remove dust from the air