Frank Sanders’ Paleontology
Dinosaur Paleontology with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (formerly Natural History)
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Frank Sanders’ Paleontology Work
I began to do paleontology work as a volunteer at the Denver Museum of Natural History (now Nature and Science) in 1992. That was the year that I took a paleontology certification class at the museum. Over the next two years I took many additional classes and began to do field work with museum paleontologists. I spent most of my weekends in the paleontology lab, doing fossil preparation (in which fossils are removed from rocks and prepared for study and storage in the museum collections or, more rarely, for exhibit). I was extremely fortunate in this early work in several regards. First, the museum was re-mounting and re-exhibiting all of its paleontology exhibits, which had not been extensively updated since the 1930s. Second, the staff was (and is) really amazing for their skills and their willingness to train and work with volunteers like myself. For my part, I threw myself into the work and worked extremely hard to become highly proficient as a fossil preparator and as a field worker.
Like everything else that I’ve ever done, I discovered that if you’re willing to work and you will get involved, you will pretty soon begin to find yourself accepted into the group you’re working with. In time you will end up with as much responsibility as you are willing to undertake. So it was with this paleontology work. First weekends in the lab, then field work in southern Wyoming in the Bridger Basin in 1993-1995. The Bridger Basin work (in the Bridger Formation) was concerned with sampling Eocene mammals from about 50-45 million years ago (MYa). Our most amazing find was a perfectly-preserved, complete skeleton of a gorgeous little primate called Smilodectes. You can view the skeleton as an exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
From 1995 onwards I have worked during the summer field seasons with Ken Carpenter’s team of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in the Cedar Mountain Formation (Kcm) of east-central Utah. That formation contains dinosaur bones dating to about 110-100 MYa. The rocks were deposited during a period of transition from the Jurassic dinosaurs of North America (including Stegosaurus and Allosaurus) to the classic North American middle-to-late Cretaceous dinosaurs (such as Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus). This biological transition period is correlates with three major geological events: North America lost its land bridge connection to Europe; Alaska docked with Siberia to form a new land bridge with northeast Asia (still present but currently submerged at the Bering Strait); and volcanism became very active in western North America, especially at the end of Kcm time. Our group have in fact found the bones of new dinosaur groups entering North America from Asia right in the Kcm period--very exciting!
Now, in 2007, I am in the midst of my fifteenth field season. Typically we go out for a week or two in May and then another week or two in September (as it’s just too hot for us all to work in Utah in June-August). The Cedar Mountain Formation (Kcm) is very difficult to work for fossils, because they are few and far between. But we have made some remarkable discoveries out there (see my paleontology bibliography, below). It’s the last great Western adventure, and I’m privileged to be able take part in it.
In connection with this field work I’ve written a book chapter on dinosaur gastroliths (after we found a perfectly preserved and intact set of gastroliths in the gut of a fossil sauropod in the Cedar Mountain Formation); I have co-published work on new fossil footprints from Pennsylvanian-Permian time in the Maroon Formation; and I have worked out and co-published the mathematical mechanics of stegosaur tails as defensive weapons. I do all of this work in my spare time, when I’m not doing my radar work for the government and so forth.
Frank’s Desert Field Work Advice
When you are working in the field, especially in the desert, you will find yourself in an amazing but challenging place. Deserts are places of solitude where early Christians retreated from the world in search of spiritual insight and renewal, and I have experienced some of that feeling myself. But in a desert one must be very meticulous and business-like about the ordinary acts of daily living. Here are a few things that I have learned while prospecting for bones and working in dinosaur quarries in the American West.
First, maintain situational awareness at all times. Pay attention to what is going on. Watch the sky, read the land, and pay attention to your fellows in your group. Most mistakes that I’ve seen have involved some lack of situational awareness. Seemingly tiny, simple errors such as inattention to detail in the selection of a place to pitch a tent can have large subsequent repercussions. Learn to read a topographic map and how to orient yourself on one. Pay attention to where you are and where you have been. When hiking or prospecting, look back every so often to form mental images of the horizon along your way.
(At a desert camp site I made a hilarious mistake years ago that to this day brings tears of laughter to the eyes of one of my colleagues. The incident involved my sitting on another guy’s shoulders while I tied a knot for a high canopy support. The guy was holding me up at the cost of terrible physical strain so that I could tie the knot at a location well above his own head level. Unfortunately I didn’t pay attention to our goal and I tied the knot behind his head at his own eye height. Neither of us realized what had happened until he finally put me down, turned around, and did a double-take, first at the knot and then at me, when he saw the knot right there at his own eye-height. Suffice to say that the root cause of the incident, as funny as it was, was my complete failure to pay attention to the job that we were doing at that moment. We all still refer to it simply as the Knot Incident.)
Instead of simply wrecking your vehicle on bad spots in the road, try using a mattock to improve your road. In ten minutes you can make a world of difference.
Carry a good set of tools for work on roads and at campsites. Essential desert gear includes a mattock and a shovel for doing road work and digging holes in your camp. Carry tarpaulins, bungee cords, an axe and duct tape in your vehicle. Have a good pair of broken-in work gloves. Carry rubberized mucking boots, as used for stable work, in your vehicle! It rains more in deserts than most people realize, and the day will come when you will be glad you have the mucking boots with you. (See more about the critical topic of foot care below.) Remember toilet paper. Carry some in both your vehicle and you backpack.
Take Care of Your Feet!
We’ve all heard the good advice about wearing a hat, staying hydrated, and staying warm and dry when working (or playing) outside. But here’s some outdoor survival advice that I’ve never seen anywhere else. I think it’s just as important as the usual tips about staying covered and hydrated and warm and dry.
Here is Frank’s Advice for critical personal hygiene in field operations: Take care of your feet! Your feet are so obviously important that you might never think much about their care. But other than your brains your feet are your most essential outdoor equipment. You can tell a lot about a person’s health by examining their feet and especially their toenails (and fingernails). Do the following things for your feet and they’ll never let you down:
1) Keep your feet warm and dry. Cold or wet feet can be crippled surprisingly easily by frostbite and skin problems. Carry extra socks to replace wet ones. Wool socks are good because they dry from the inside out. I hate wet feet! Carry a little hand-towel in your pack to dry your feet after you wade through water. (I’ve always thought that the lack of training for foot care for soldiers in the first World War was criminal.)
2) Wash and clean your feet whenever possible, preferably at the end of each day before you go to bed. I take a sponge bath, at a minimum, and preferably a field shower every day in even the worst weather.
3) Trim and clean your toenails carefully. Nail clippers are essential safety equipment in the wild. If toenails get too long they’ll bang into the insides of your shoes or other objects and the tissues around them can become badly damaged in less than an hour of walking, especially downhill walking. Toenail damage can be painful and crippling. It can take over a year for damaged nails and their surrounding tissues to grow out anew and heal properly. When you trim your nails, don’t cut them so short as to lead to problems with cut skin or subsequent nail ingrowth.
4) Let your feet breath by taking off your shoes whenever possible. Feet that are kept hot and sweaty inside shoes or boots for extended periods (more than about 8 hours in my experience) can become unhealthy.
Finally, stay clean generally, to the extent that you can. Field showers are easily accomplished with some water that you have left out in the sun in a dark container during the day while you have been working at a quarry site or have been prospecting. There is no better feeling than standing in the middle of a desert and washing your entire body with that warm water! Use a portable three-legged stool and wear a pair of flip-flops while you are bathing. You will freeze for a few seconds while you are drying off, but the chill is momentary and it’s a small price to pay for getting clean. You will sleep better if you have bathed in the late afternoon or evening. (See my page on how to sleep in the desert.)
Frank Sanders’ Paleontology Bibliography
These are papers and presentations that I have authored or co-authored in the field of paleontology. Thanks to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, especially Ken Carpenter, Bryan Small and Richard Stucky, for giving me the opportunity to do this work in this field.
Voigt, S., B.J. Small, and F. Sanders, 2005. “A diverse terrestrial ichnofauna from the Maroon Formation (Pennsylvanian-Permian), Colorado: biostratigraphic and paleoecological significance,” New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 30, pp. 342-351.
Carpenter, K., F. Sanders, L. McWhinney, and L. Wood, 2005. Evidence for Predator-Prey Relationships: Examples for Allosaurus and Stegosaurus. Chapter 17 In K. Carpenter (ed.), Carnivorous Dinosaurs, Indiana Univ. Press: 325-350.
Sanders, F., K. Carpenter, B. Reed, and J. Reed, 2004. “Plesiosaur swimming reconstructed from skeletal analysis and experimental results,” abstract and talk at 2004 SVP meeting, Denver. (Need page numbers of 2004 SVP meeting publication.)
Sanders, F., K. Carpenter, L. McWhinney, and L. Wood, 2002. "Mechanics of stegosaur tails as weapons: A mathematical analysis," Abstracts of Papers for 62nd Annual Meeting of the Soc. Vert. Paleont., Oct. 9-12, 2002, in J. Vert. Paleont., 22, suppl. to (3), pg 102A.
Carpenter, K., T. DiCroce, D. Gilpin, W. Kineer, F. Sanders, V. Tidwell, and A. Shaw, 2002. "Origins of the Early and "Middle" Cretaceous dinosaurs of North America: Implications for plate tectonics," Symposium on New Concepts in Global Tectonics, La Junta, CO, Jul.
Sanders, F., K. Manley, K. Carpenter. 2001. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. Chapter 12 In: Tanke, T., K. Carpenter, and M. W. Skrepnick (eds.), Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Indiana Univ. Press: 166-180.
Sanders, F. H., and Carpenter, K. 1999. A mechanical method of mirror imaging bones for skeletal mounts. In: J. Vert. Paleont., abstracts w. program, 19 (3): 73A.
Sanders, F. H., and K. Carpenter. 1998. Gastroliths from a Camarasaurid in the Cedar Mountain Formation. In: J. Vert. Paleont., abstracts w. program, 18 (3): 74A. [Determined later to be a Brachiosaurid]
Frank Sanders Paleontology Vita
1992-1994 Took classes in Department of Earth Science (DES) Paleontology Certification Program at Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH)
1994 Field work in Bridger Formation, Bridger Basin, WY (DMNH Field School)
1994 Earned DMNH DES certification in paleontology
1995 Field work in Bridger Fm (Field School for graduate credit)
1996-1997 Worked on baby stegosaur mounts, incl. molding and casting; free-hand sculpting of skull, pelvis, and vertebrae; and production of numerous mirror-image bones;
1996 Field work in Cedar Mtn. Fm (prospecting).
1997 Field work in Cedar Mtn Fm (teaching assistant for DMNH Field School, prospecting and quarrying).
1998 Two field trips to Cedar Mtn Fm. Quarrymaster on first trip. On second trip, was the leader of the field party that closed out the Cedarosaurus sp. quarry. 1/2 ton jacket and numerous smaller jackets removed. Cedarosaurus sp. named from the material;
1997-1998 Worked on ankylosaur mount, including creation of numerous mirror-image bones;
1998 Co-authored SVP poster, “Gastroliths from a Cedar Mtn. Formation Brachiosaurid,” drafted paper with same title for JVP;
1999 Leader of DMNH prospecting camp and team in the Cedar Mtn Formation;
1999 Performed aerial photography of extensive portions of Cedar Mtn Formation and related photointerpretation to determine access into the formation for prospecting;
1999 Presented paper for Preparator’s Section at SVP, “A mechanical method of mirror imaging fossil bones for skeletal mounts”;
2000 Camp leader for the spring season of prospecting in the Cedar Mtn formation (at a missile site near Green River, UT).
2001 As Earth Science Departmental Associate, applied for and obtained permits from National Park Service for collection of geological hand samples from Upheaval Dome, in Canyonlands National Park. Organized collection team. Performed field work on the permit at Upheaval Dome on March 4, 2001. Samples currently being thin-sectioned for ongoing research project on origin of Upheaval Dome structure.
2001 Field work in the spring (quarrying and prospecting) in the Cedar Mtn formation between Moab and Green River.
2002 Field work in the Cedar Mtn formation, spring and fall.
2003 Field work in the Cedar Mtn formation.
2003-2004 Analyzed the physics and mechanics of Stegosaurus tails as defensive weapons. Published results in recent book, Carnivorous Dinosaurs, by University of Indiana Press.
2004 Field work in the Cedar Mtn formation.
2004-2005 Performed research into the biomechanics of swimming in plesiosaurs. Presented results in talk for 2004 SVP meeting, and have drafted a paper for a chapter in an upcoming book on Mesozoic marine reptiles.
2005 Field work in the Cedar Mtn formation.
2006 Field work in the Cedar Mtn formation and in the Maroon Formation with Ken Carpenter and Bryan Small. Co-authored paper on the discovery of trackways in the upper Maroon Formation, identical to tracks found in the Tambach of Germany.
2007 Field work in the Cedar Mtn formation, including prospecting in May. Continuing work on Maroon Formation trackways in July.
Key words: Paleontology images; Utah desert images.
Denver paleontology formal dinner in the Utah desert. I’m front-center with the remote camera release.
Denver paleontology dinner featuring the Barbarian Horde from the East in Utah.
The Principal Investigator, Ken Carpenter, working in the Utah desert.
Paleontology work in the Arroyo del Muerto (Gully of Death).
Cedar Mountain (Kcm) desert butte
Spotted lizard in Kcm desert May 2007
Clearing Pit 9 of a dinosaur quarry
Pit 24 dinosaur quarry work May 2004
Part of the Dino Hill prospecting group
Dakota outcrop in Kcm desert
Dinosaur prospector at Dino Hill
Dave and Tim dino quarry
Dave and Tim quarrying 2
Dave andTim quarrying 3
Deer Valley 3
Kcm cook tent
Shaded dinosaur quarry
Desert camp in evening
Dinosaur quarry pit with sun shade
Dinosaur work site
Kcm desert May 2007 1
East central Utah desert corral
Eastern Utah desert
Homesteader cabin in Cedar Mountain formation desert in Utah
Kcm prospectors working
Fossil log about 110 MY old, burned in a Cretraceous forest fire
Fossil log about 110 MY old (Kcm), part of a whole forest that burned and fell.
At a chert location. Deserts are full of cool stuff.
Happy paleo worker
A paleo girl
Kcm cook tents May 2004
Dust devil damage at the Cedar Mountain paleontology camp
Kcm desert butte
Kcm desert 110 million-year-old exhumed river channel May 2007
Kcm sunrise 03
Kcm sunrise rays
Kcm surreal sunrise
Kcm rainbow over a dinosaur quarry--our version of a pot of (scientific) gold
Kcm desert sunset
Kcm Yellowcat Road sunset
Lightning near Moab during dinosaur work
Kcm desert bivouac cots for KC & Frank (barely visible in the background)
How Frank sleeps in the desert
Kcm desert vista 06
Kcm desert vista 01
Making a small plaster jacket. Some of our jackets have weighed 3/4 of a ton.
Prospecting for dinosaurs in the desert. The Kcm is very difficult to prospect..
Kcm desert flowerbed 01
Kcm desert flowerbed 02
Deer Valley cactus flowers
Kcm desert paintbrush flowers 01
Kcm desert paintbrush flowers 02
Desert paintbrush flowers
Purple cactus flowers
Waiting for the wind to die. This captures perfectly our need to bend with conditions.
Sandy & Tim probing for bones at a potential hot-spot while prospecting.
View of Morrison (Jm), Cedar Mountain (Kcm) and distant Utah Book Cliffs
Tim with a dead Cadillac bumper. Deserts are full of ancient & recent human detritus.
Frank prospecting for dinosaurs in eastern Utah near old uranium claim (foreground).
Utah desert cliffs B&W
Working at the Permian Cutler (Pc) horizon in Colorado
Museum crew working in a Permian-age quarry in western Colorado
Paleo insect that I prepared under a microscope at the paleo lab
