Imagine digging a hole in your backyard, not for a pool, but to explore the Earth’s depths, and striking a relic from a time when giants roamed. That’s precisely what happened to researchers at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science this past January when a routine drilling project beneath their own parking lot yielded an astonishing discovery: a partial fossil belonging to a dinosaur that lived over 67 million years ago. This incredible find is not only the deepest ever unearthed within Denver’s city limits but also offers a rare glimpse into the ancient world that once thrived right where modern-day Denver stands.
The unexpected discovery unfolded as museum crews were conducting a geothermal drilling test in their north parking lot. The primary goal of this initiative, supported by a grant from the Colorado Energy Office, was to explore the feasibility of transitioning the facility from natural gas to more sustainable geothermal energy. However, serendipity played its hand. Simultaneously, a research team, keen on understanding the intricate geology of the Denver Basin, seized the opportunity to extract rock cores from nearly a thousand feet below the surface.
It was among these extracted rocks, specifically from a depth of 763 feet, that a partial bone fossil was identified. After careful examination, museum officials confirmed it belonged to a plant-eating dinosaur, likely a Thescelosaurus or an Edmontosaurus. These herbivores were common during the Late Cretaceous period, a time when Denver’s landscape was a vastly different place — a lush realm of tropical swamps, dense forests, and expansive floodplains. The Thescelosaurus, a two-legged animal, typically stood around 10 to 12 feet long, while the four-legged Edmontosaurus was even larger, coexisting with formidable predators like the Tyrannosaurus rex.
Dr. James Hagadorn, the museum’s Curator of Geology, expressed profound excitement over the find. “This is a scientifically and historically thrilling discovery,” he stated, emphasizing its significance as a window into the ecosystem that existed just before the cataclysmic event that led to the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Bob Raynolds, a research associate, echoed this sentiment, calling the find “nothing short of magical” given his 35 years at the museum and the unique opportunity it presented to study the deep geological layers with such precision.
This isn’t the first time Denver has revealed its ancient secrets through construction. Previous discoveries include a partial Triceratops skeleton found in Highlands Ranch in 2019 and bone fragments unearthed during the construction of Coors Field in 1994, which famously inspired the Colorado Rockies’ mascot, Dinger. The recent parking lot fossil, a vertebra, is now on public display as part of the museum’s “Discovering Teen Rex” exhibit, allowing visitors to connect directly with this remarkable piece of Earth’s history.
The presence of such a well-preserved fossil deep beneath the city serves as a powerful reminder of the incredible history hidden beneath our feet. It underscores the dynamic nature of our planet and the continuous surprises that await those who seek to understand its past. This small bone, pulled from the darkness, illuminates a vibrant, ancient world and sparks a sense of wonder about what other untold stories lie buried just below the surface.
