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There are two strategies, which are worked together. First, go to some area where the exposed rocks are the proper age for dinosaur fossils. Second, look around to see if any of them are "weathering out" of the matrix.

Mineralized bones and other hard parts tend to be a little bit more resistent that the surrounding rock, so as wind and water remove rock, sometimes the bones poke out. Of course, if nobody notices them and digs them out, they eventually weather away as well and we never know they were there.

Some places are particularly likely depositories, such as areas that WERE the terminus of streams because not only might bones have been washed down to them, but the slow-moving water there would have allowed fine particles of clay to settle over them -- just the stuff to make fossils in a few million years.

In any case, the skill of a paleontologist includes 1) patience in shifting, screening, washing and sorting little bits that might be bones and 2) experience in recognizing the things that are. Most fossil bones are little broken bits; it's only once in a great while that a huge solid thighbone or skull weathers out.

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10y ago
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10y ago

Fossils are found when a rock layer holding a fossil is weathered until the fossil is exposed. Often times the fossil ends up reburied under the soil, and then it may be discovered by digging during construction or agriculture. Many major fossil discoveries have been made this way. Additionally, paleontologists know how to find areas where fossils are likely to be found, and then they dig for them.

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11y ago

people found fossils and dinosaur bones for evidence, and footstep markings

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12y ago

The bones of dinosaurs were discovered by people digging or by just stumbling on them.

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Q: How did dinosaurs get discovered?
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Related questions

How dinosaurs discovered?

by there fossils


Was frozen dinosaurs discovered on a planet?

yes. It's not like it was discovered in space =D


Which dinosaurs was discovered by human?

A cave man and the scientist


How many dinosaurs are discovered per year?

1


How many type of dinosaurs?

there where many species of dinosaurs some of them still might not have been discovered yet


How many were there of dinosaurs?

it's impossible to know exactly because not all the dinosaurs have been discovered yet.


How many new dinosaurs have been discovered in Utah?

2


How many dinosaurs were there altogether?

It's impossible to know exact amount because not all the dinosaurs had been discovered yet.


Why were dinosaurs not in the story of Jesus?

Dinosaurs had not yet been discovered in Jesus' time. They lived and died millions of years earlier.


When did the dinosars exsist?

Dinosaurs were first discovered 60,0000 Years ago!


Who found out about Dinosaurs?

First off, plesiosaurs and pterodactyl were not dinosaurs. Plesiosaurs were their own group of reptiles more closely related to lizards than to dinosaurs. Pterodactyl was a pterosaur, which were a group separate from, but related to dinosaurs. Plesiosaurs are generally considered to have been discovered by Mary Anning. Pterosaurs are said to have been discovered by Cosmio Collini.


Could there be aliens familiar to dinosaurs on other planets?

Yes, there was recently discovered forms of ancient life on mars that looked like dinosaurs