Before removing a fossil, the excavation team removes surrounding soil and rocks. This procedure can range from dusting off soil to removing part of a mountainside, according to Montana State University. Fieldworkers remove rocks and dirt with shovels, jackhammers and crowbars. As fieldworkers get closer to the remains, they use smaller tools like rock hammers and picks. Scientists sometimes soak chunks of calcified rock in acetic acid to weaken the rock's structure, which releases the fossilized remains.
Excavation teams dig around the edges of a fossil to isolate it from the surrounding rocks. They cover valuable fossils, such as those of dinosaurs, in plaster-coated strips that dry into a hard shell. In such cases, field teams first cover the bones with paper towels to prevent them from directly contacting the plastic strips. Laboratory staff later remove this protective coating.
Excavators dig underneath the fossil to release it from the ground. Field teams preserve the fossil by leaving some of the original rock attached, which laboratory workers later remove. Excavation workers roll the fossil onto the side encased in plaster and cover the remaining parts in the plaster shell.
Depending on their size and weight, fieldworkers either carry or wheel the fossils from the excavation site. Large fossils may have transported by helicopter. The fossils are then shipped to the laboratory in large wooden boxes. Expert excavation teams always record precisely where a fossil is found and details about the rock from where they collect it.