The village of Jingangkou, 10 km southeast of Laiyang, Shandong province, is the first dinosaur fossil site discovered by Chinese scientists in China since early 1920s. In July, scientists returned Laiyang, and have unearthed more than 100 dinosaur bones within two months of digging the red mountainous terrain.
On the site, scientists found a femoral head lying not far from a thighbone. To make sure whether the two pieces could be sewed together, scientists unearthed the femoral head carefully. After 40 minutes digging, the femoral head was exposed to the ground; it did not belong to the nearby thighbone.
The fossils are cautiously packed in plaster packs. First, the excavators cover the fossil surface with wet tissues. Then they put a layer of linen with plaster. The plaster will form a protective layer once dried. So the researchers can ship the fossils safely to the laboratory and peel the plaster off easily.
The plaster packs needs to be recorded with numbers and the direction when they were unearthed. The excavators pack up a dozen of plaster packs every day. The excavation will last two and a half months, and the fossils will be transported to laboratory for repair and further study.
