Mining for Fossil Bugs and Feathers

The Green River Formation is a lagerstätte known for its soft tissue preservation of fossils. In this rare trip fossil hunting in Wyoming we had the opportunity to dig for these fossil bugs in the 18" layer of one of Warfield Fossil's quarries. Green River fossils are very similar to other lagerstätten like the Solnhofen limestone formation in Germany. We were incredibly lucky to discover our first fossil feathers in this trip along with a multitude of fossil bugs, fossil fish, and fossil leaves.
If you ever want to hunt here yourself check out Warfield Fossils VIP digs below:
www.fossilsafa...
Through exploring, fossil hunting, and arrowhead collecting, we can make a physical connection to the history around us. We are passionate about that connection and want to share it with others. If you value this content, consider supporting us on Patreon so we can help others “dig science.”
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We plan on hunting for a diversity of fossils all throughout the US this year with other fossil hunters such as Paleocris, Wildkyle, Ancient Artworks, Shark Teeth and Fossils and Bone Valley Collections. We hope to find beautiful Megalodon teeth, gems and minerals, great white shark teeth, artifacts, arrowheads, and megafauna creatures like mammoths and mastodons. We will also include videos on how to find shark teeth and explore discussions on some of our favorite topics in paleontology, archaeology, and geology!
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About Digging Science:
This page chronicles the adventures of myself, @diggingscience, and a small group of fossil enthusiasts. We are education minded individuals with a sense of adventure. I hope to be able to one day this full time while doing educational programs. Creating these informative videos is my way of sharing this passion of fossil hunting and natural treasure hunting with others. Please, like, share, and subscribe so we can continue to create and share these awesome videos with you! Thank you!
Once again, please like, share, and subscribe! 😊

[@DiggingScience]

If you want to dig here yourself, check out the link below! And tell them Jonathan from Digging Science sent you. This isn't a paid promotion, its just an awesome quarry with an awesome owner! www.fossilsafari.com/fossil_safari_vip_dig.html

[@fluffchucker13]

Maybe when this C-19 is over and UK-USA flights are back to normal. If any fossils are found, can they be taken or do they stay with the owners?

[@dustyrelic25]

Is there a place in Texas where I can find these?

[@cl0n0v4n]

The link is down, fyi

[@EatDrinkBeMerry]

This channel inspired me to visit. Spent a few days there in fall of 2023. Had a very fun time. 2.5 days/20 hours of constant splitting made me a happy soul.

[@fossilwildlife5198]

I was in the quarries in Solnhofen four years ago. I found some fish and a really really rare squid with a lenght of 40 centimeter. Some information for all of you: In this location was found the archaeopteryx (the primal bird) Its the species between dinosaurs and birds. So its a really important location for the paleontology. I wish you all a nice day😃🤗

[@DiggingScience]

Solnhofen is a really cool Fossil Hunting location! Congrats on the finds!

[@cheaplaughkennedy2318]

I love watching these videos, you guys are really good . I find fossils so interesting. Awesome 👍

[@DiggingScience]

We are happy fossil hunters that is for sure! Thank you so much!

[@chuckduncan9098]

Yes, oreodant, rhino, etc. and the trip leader has found several saber cats. I am now heading for the Peace River area in November to spend the winter. Looking forward to that!

[@devincherry6891]

Really great job showing something that most of the quarriers typically ignore. I love the green river formation for it's amazing quantity and quality of fossils. It's more than just the fish! Great job!

[@DiggingScience]

The diversity of fossils in the Green River really is so incredible. Goes to show what a large sample size can deliver!

[@devincherry6891]

@@DiggingScience I did a stint as park ranger (and before that geocorps intern) at fossil butte and got to take part in a study where we tallied up how many fossils, the type of fossil, and estimated the volume of rock that was sampled. We just hung out at the quarry and had them call out what they found. Had this section you worked been added to the tally our insect and feather count would have been much bigger! The diversity and abundance is almost incalculable.

[@mollyhollypollydolly8760]

“Lots of bugs and one caveman” always calling Joe names😂 (in a lighthearted way❤️)

[@DiggingScience]

He's my best friend, I have to tease him!

[@kathrynharris5095]

So cool to see soft tissue fossils!

[@cooperwilliams9140]

Sweet finds! Love the feathers! Can't wait to see the fish!

[@DiggingScience]

We definitely did find some fossil fish ;)

[@kevinbrown2630]

Several years ago I was walking through an area in eastern Kansas and in the sandstone, I found a flower fossil.

[@fluffchucker13]

I’m really jealous too Great vids and you all seem genuinely knowledgeable and no BS 😊

[@DiggingScience]

We really appreciate it Steve! Let us know if you have any questions and we hope to see you in the comments again on future videos!

[@fluffchucker13]

Just wish I knew about these places when I had Florida diving holidays in the 90’s.

[@steveclark4291]

Thank you for the adventure and seeing some awesome finds ! Take care , stay safe and healthy wherever your next adventure takes you ! Doing well here in Kansas .

[@DiggingScience]

Thank you Steve! Can't wait to share more fossil hunting adventures with you! Glad to hear you are doing well. One of these days I'll have to hunt the Kansas chalk. You have cool stuff up there!

[@steveclark4291]

@@DiggingScience you're welcome ! I have found a white flint arrow on my place and petrified wood also

[@steveshoemaker6347]

WOW....How cool is that it's almost like those bug's and stuff....Just fell in the water....Outstanding....Thanks my young friend....Be safe brother...!

[@DiggingScience]

Thanks Steve. Will do!

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

Joe is so dry , he should come with a bottle of water. Loving the work guys.

[@DiggingScience]

He keeps the humidity at bay at least. P.S. loved this comment lol

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

@@DiggingScience bahahaha. Keep digging!

[@DiggingScience]

@@TheCaptainbeefylog will do!

[@tinovanderzwanphonocave544]

joe: bug!......bug.......bug...........bug.......guess what I found?!...bug.......bug...feather!

[@monke.4270]

Simply amazing!

[@evankelln9966]

Joe looks like the Steve Erwin of the fossil world

[@DiggingScience]

We absolutely agree!

[@jeffcarney5155]

So so cool.

[@DiggingScience]

We think so!

[@mattheweastham1852]

Mazon creek fossil in Illinois are also a Lagerstatte

[@DiggingScience]

Will need to head there one day. Do you hunt it?

[@mattheweastham1852]

@@DiggingScience I have, it is not as easy as it once was. Mazon creek foosil are the by product of coal strip mining in Illinois. But what you can find there is incredible. I am lucky to know and have friends from the Illinois Geological survey that have taken me to various spots. If you want ro try your luck there let me know

[@DiggingScience]

@@mattheweastham1852 that would be awesome one day!

[@mattheweastham1852]

@@DiggingScience Unfortunately deer hunting season starts tomorrow so next spring through September is usually good

[@jimphillips1980]

OK, with all the fossils you found, I want a cigarette, afterwards!

[@JessieMillerUnboxingsandMore]

I'm new to your channel and love it! I love insect fossils, well all fossils! The seed is super cool. I kept hoping for a dragonfly! Have you ever found one?

[@couldntthinkofayoutubename6498]

YES

[@dmozonnersepicoutdooradven3524]

I am itching to get to the Green River Formation. Gas prices. Thank you very much for an outstanding video.

[@ineedanewname9595944]

Really cool stuff!! Are you gonna research the species, etc? What are the feathers from??? Too cool!!

[@DiggingScience]

The feathers are hard to tell. But they could be from an undescribed species. Unfortunately, not much can be done with one feather unless it has a uniquely distinct characteristic.

[@johnsalsbery4718]

Awesome, those feathers are cool.

[@DiggingScience]

Thank you!

[@cait_o_saurus]

Awesome video and finds guys! But what are the yellow armbands you guys are wearing?

[@DiggingScience]

Mosquito deterrent!

[@WarrenFahyAuthor]

Super cool.

[@stephanieyee9784]

The bugs are a tad creepy because.. Bugs. Some of them however are very well preserved fossils. That big I love the gastropod, feather and leaf fossils.

[@robr4596]

Diggin fossils with a guy that looks like curt cobain. Awesome!

[@RunningGrass-we7tm]

U need a small battery saw to cut specimens in smaller pieces

[@DiggingScience]

We have one. Cut them off site though.

[@chuckduncan9098]

Just finished a hunt in Nebraska with some nice finds. Wish I had time to go to Wyoming. Next Spring!

[@DiggingScience]

Were you fossil hunting the White River formation?

[@chuckduncan9098]

@@DiggingScience It was a private ranch, M & M, near Crawford.

[@chuckduncan9098]

I think it was the Chadron formation.

[@DiggingScience]

@@chuckduncan9098 yessir, I've been fossil hunting there once before. Can't wait to go back one day.

[@sethwilliams3630]

Bucket list

[@DiggingScience]

Get out there!

[@randomconsumer4494]

You're killing me, Smalls... There is mosquitos way the hell out there?! Bummer, major bummer.

[@eckyx9019]

Strange how a bug that died 50 million years ago is more famous than most people on this planet.

[@americanrebel413]

Cool man!

[@triver7593]

The green river formation also contains the worlds largest deposit of oil shale. 2.5 trillion barrels worth of oil. It’s over half the known oil in the world.

[@DiggingScience]

Awesome fact. Did not know that!

[@marissaarmas4355]

What do you do with all the fossils you find?

[@DiggingScience]

Loan them to museums, use them in educational programs, sell the unimportant ones and covet the rest! If you've never fossil hunted, I suggest it for everyone! You can find them in every state except hawaii (kind of).

[@iAmIronMan0605]

The marsh flies use the gastropods for their larva

[@franciscoruiz2198]

What do you do with the fossils you find in any video

[@beckyklapil3775]

Joe is dreamy! And smart, and funny! He likes fossils and cookies. But not alligators. 😍

[@DiggingScience]

Yes, he is! I have notified him of your kind comment and will let you know if he blushes ;)

[@cooperwilliams9140]

Did you find any other species of Insects?

[@DiggingScience]

Just one beetle unfortunately. Dragonfly is on my bucket list!

[@STHFGDBY]

I'm wondering how the bugs ended up on the bottom because bugs don't sink, they float. So looking at fossilized bugs with their their wings still spread suggests they died in very shallow water, like the marsh flies would. But other bugs ended up at the bottom which means that they must have literally died on wet sand and did not sink to the bottom in deeper waters because they can't. So that's why Marsh flies are more in abundance and other bugs like dragon flies are not. Maybe someone with better knowledge can tell me more.

[@carpii]

Ive just been reading that this 18 inch layer was deposited over 6M years. Why is it that the bugs are all found on the same layer?

[@victoriabryer4710]

Cool fossils. I want to find a fossil so bad. The Niagara escarpment cuts right through my city. If I go looking long enough I the right place, I'd find something, am just not 100 percent if I can keep it or not or if it belongs to the Queen aka the Crown

[@w2male320]

Never seen someone get a sun tan only on their love handles.

[@1.4142]

How do you know the lump at 9:45 is fossilized poop?

[@DiggingScience]

We find a lot of coprolites (fossil poops). You get used to seeing them. Fossil fish poops will bulge the layers above it and are normally wider in one cardinal direction.

[@1.4142]

​@@DiggingScience Cool! Any idea what fish it belongs to?

[@DiggingScience]

@@1.4142 Fossil Fish. Most likely a Diplomystus dentatus.

[@whatthefunction9140]

Try to sprout that seed!

[@alexkosinski6304]

What do you think you can find in Illinois (fossils,gems)

[@mattheweastham1852]

We have a lot in Illinois. Try rocks in creek beds first

[@alexkosinski6304]

Mazon creek?

[@mattheweastham1852]

@@alexkosinski6304 Yes its in Grundy county. Look up Mazon creek foosil in googles click on images

[@u.s.militia7682]

How do you know which layer to split open?

[@DiggingScience]

The 18 inch layer is delineated by a concentration of kerogen and oil which makes the layer darker. In that layer there is a gypsum layer that is right below the bugs.

[@u.s.militia7682]

Digging Science I’m just learning. I’ve been splitting shale here in SW Virginia creeks and rivers. I find shell fossils all the time. I may have found a dinosaur footprint in some other type of rock. It’s killing me not knowing what I’m doing. Ugh.

[@DiggingScience]

@@u.s.militia7682 you will learn so much by simply fossil hunting. But it will take time! I can totally remember when I had no idea what I was doing.

[@u.s.militia7682]

Digging Science I’m old so I might not have enough time left to learn but I’m also retired so that’ll give me a little extra time. Thanks for responding and keep up the great work.

[@Doxymeister]

@@u.s.militia7682 LOL, don't worry about the "old" part--my sons taught me to "Internet" and I'm almost 65. If I can learn to do that, you'll do fine! Old dogs can learn new tricks! LOL.

[@jojowilson1955]

27 bugs on the slab?

[@DiggingScience]

No! Hint: not all of the stains are bugs.

[@jojowilson1955]

Digging Science Just a crazy wild guess 😃 How about 17?

[@johnwanderin3872]

Technically, those are insects and not bugs because bugs, true bugs, are in the order Hemiptera.

[@jorgemeza5031]

Where are you

[@emailusgenericus4890]

6 ads is too many for a 12 min vid

[@triple_A_rockhound]

makes ya wonder what happen

[@randomconsumer4494]

27. I think there are 27.

[@aidan-ul5oh]

I can’t find anything in my creek and I’ve been going to that creek for years, no fossils, no arrowheads no nothing

[@johnnyjoestar3020]

It’s been looted already lmaoo

[@1.4142]

No views?

[@DiggingScience]

Refresh that page!

[@marie-josetimperley3825]

34

[@RunningGrass-we7tm]

So the marsh flies r same as today. Yet they want to say people come from monkeys? Uh no

[@Doxymeister]

It's a mystery sometimes. Horses went extinct from North America around the time the mega-fauna did, right? And all over the world, surviving animals got smaller. Yet, the horse got larger as time went on (went from about the size of a pony to what we have today). I've always wondered about that. Of course that's a much shorter time span than the fossil bugs in this video.

[@DiggingScience]

Its most closely related to Marsh flies but they actually belong to an extinct genus.

[@hellsfirefreedomtube6984]

The only good bug is a fossilized bug

[@kerylholt1921]

Drink lemons squeezed in water, stops mozzies biting you.