What to Expect:
The “Substation Quarry” is within city limits and across the street from the museum. You’ll be able to park nearby with a short, easy walk to it. Be advised, the quarry has uneven, dirt surfaces and no wheelchair access. You will be outside in the sun, plan accordingly. Additionally, Southern Utah weather runs hot and has similar temperatures to Las Vegas. Also, the bathrooms are located a short walk over the hill to the nearby Slick Rock Park.
You are responsible for your own transportation to the museum and quarry. It’s best to drive from the museum to the quarry rather than walk. On the plus side, there are lots of restaurants and a grocery store within walking distance of the museum. 

What to Bring:

• Water! And electrolytes, we recommend at least 2 liters of water and additional electrolytes
• Snacks
• A hat, wide brim is best
• Wear clothes that can get dirty – because you will get dirty! And plan for layers to help with cooler mornings and hot midday sun
• Hiking boots are best on uneven terrain, no open-toed shoes
• Sunscreen, reapply throughout the day
• Well-fitting work gloves, if you prefer

We Provide:

• Cooler with ice and waters
• Tools for excavation, but if you have personal equipment consider bringing:
  • Geology/rock hammer
  • Sturdy bench broom
  • Small/medium Chisels
  • Awls
  • Work Gloves

Bathrooms are a short walk over the hill at Slickrock Park

Where do the fossils go:
Fossils found during your tour will be housed at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site. Our volunteers will prepare them in our fossil prep lab. After preparation, we will store the fossils in archival cabinets within the museum. Museum staff, professional paleontologists, and researchers from around the world will have access to these fossils. And will continue researching and publishing for years to come. Particularly important specimens may end up on display in the museum and/or be the focus of academic research papers.

Geology/Historical Context of Quarry:
The “Substation Quarry” was first excavated in March and April of 2025. It began as a rapid salvage and recovery operation by our team and volunteers. Initially, we targeted two layers of rock known to produce the remains of fishes (sharks, palaeoniscoids, semionotids, lungfishes, and coelacanths), theropod dinosaurs, crocodile relatives, and invertebrates (animals without backbones, e.g. insects). All of these fossils are preserved within lake deposits of the uppermost Whitmore Point Member of the Moenave Formation (~200 million years old). This formation represents the recovery fauna and flora following the end-Triassic mass extinction that took place 201.3 million years ago. It’s one of the “big five” mass extinctions known on Earth. 

Our team had to focus on these productive layers because the City of St. George had slated this acre of land to construct an electrical substation. As a result of excavation, we discovered a new dinosaur track layer and plant locality. Additionally, a large rock pile containing fossils was placed here during the construction of the nearby middle school. We moved this rock pile and sorted through it for fossils in order to expose big areas of the bone-producing layers that lay beneath. 

During excavation, more than 1,100 fossils were collected and inventoried by our crews. These crews included more than 500 volunteers from around the USA, Canada, and as far away as England and Italy. Professional assistance also came from several museums, universities, and colleges from across the United States. As a result of so many new and important discoveries, the City decided to relocate the electrical substation! We are now able to take our time. Specifically, we can now investigate many of the fossil-bearing layers above and below the two more productive levels. This will help us learn more about this prehistoric lake environment and life that lived in and around its shores.

Questions? Email Jaleesa Buchwitz or Hunter Carter at [email protected]
Or call 435-574-3466