#UDIG FOSSILS HOW TO#

The guides are very helpful and will provide tools if you do not choose to bring your own. I found 75+ complete to near complete trilobites in a 5 hour period.

This time I found even more fossils than the last (in 2000), including a completely intact 2-inch Elraithia, and numerous complete baby Asaphiscus. One online reviewer said, 'I just got back from my second trip to U-dig fossil quarry. The nearest food and gas is in Delta, fifty two miles away. Pick a spot below or above the U-DIG Quarry. You can camp anywhere you want on BLM land. There is no organized camping however much of the land around the U-DIG Quarry is BLM or public land. There is plenty of room for RV's at the site. Leashed dogs are allowed at the quarry, be sure to bring extra water. The quarry accepts cash, checks, and all major credit cards. A discount of 20% is available for Utah residents who can show a driver's license. There is also a discount for Boy Scout groups and local school groups. Group discounts are available for ten or more. Length of stay charges are broken into two, four and eight hour time periods. There is no charge for children under six if accompanied by a paying adult. Age groups are from 7 to 16, and 17 and older. Pricing for the quarry is based on age and length of stay. Inexpensive safety glasses are available at most hardware stores. Splitting rock can create shards of stone, which could injure your eyes if not protected. The quarry is not allowed to provide eye protection due to health concerns. It is also important to bring safety glasses. Depending on the time of your visit, you might want to bring beverages and a light lunch. Wear sturdy shoes to protect your feet from dust and sharp rock and bring a light jacket in case the weather changes. Tips for visiting the quarry - bring a pair of gloves to protect your hands. Any type of vehicle can travel this gravel road. Then travel twenty miles down a well-maintained gravel road to reach the quarry. There is a U-DIG Fossils sign at this intersection. At the Long Ridge Reservoir sign between mile markers 56-57, turn right.

Once in Delta, travel thirty two miles west on Highway 6 / 50. It is approximately ninety miles from Provo to Delta and approximately one hundred and thirty miles from Salt Lake City to Delta. The quarry is located approximately fifty two miles west of Delta, Utah. Do not attempt to enter the quarry when it is closed. Please arrive at the quarry before 4pm, as it closes early if no one is present by then. It is open on some holidays during the season. Business hours are Monday through Saturday from 9am to 6pm.The quarry is closed on Sundays. The U-DIG Fossils quarry opens for the season in the middle of March. There are toilet facilities at the quarry. They will provide digging instructions and assistance with finding and identifying fossils. The quarry can provide hammers to split the shale, buckets to hold your collection and to transport fossils to your vehicle in the parking area. Fresh rock is exposed with an excavator on a regular basis.

#UDIG FOSSILS HOW TO#

These men will you how to split the rock to find trilobites, and can help identify what you find. The U-Dig staff will roam the quarry area and are happy to show you how to find the richest veins of fossil-bearing rock. Most visitors to the park find ten to twenty trilobites in a four-hour period. The fossils range in length from an eighth of an inch, to two inches. Other fossils, including brachiopods, sponges, worm tracks, and phyllocarids, can be uncovered, but they are harder to come by. Alokistocare harrisi, Bolasidella housensis, and Olenoides nevadensis are some of the rarer species that have been found. The most common trilobite species found at the Quarry are: Asaphiscus wheeleri, Elrathia kingi, or Peronopsis interstricta. They are one of the most popular fossils with collectors because there are so many varieties and they are often preserved in excellent condition.

These hard-shelled prehistoric critters roamed the sea floor and coral reefs in search of food. U-Dig regularly extracts fresh chunks of fossil-bearing rock with heavy equipment.Ī form of invertebrate marine life, trilobites lived more than 500 million years ago. If you want to dig deeper and remove fresh rock for yourself, larger tools are available. Bring your own hammer, or U-Dig Fossils can provide one. The fossils are found in limestone shale rocks that split easily into flat sheets, revealing the trilobite fossils. Containing one of the world's richest deposits of trilobites, at this site you can dig and find your own fossils. U-Dig Fossils is a private, family run quarry west of Delta, Utah.

Udig fossils