Students and teachers from Westminster College started a research dig in the South Dakota Badlands in the summer of 2020.
The entire trip lasted about two months and yielded the skull, around 20 other bones believed to be from the same triceratops and two turtle shells. (Photo from Dr. David Schmidt)
The squad came back with what can only be described as the biggest of trophies after two months.
Colette Faiella, a senior, described it as "the find of a lifetime." Although I'm a little sorry it happened so soon in my life, this was a fantastic study opportunity.
That discovery turned out to be a unique triceratops skull that was nearly 7 feet long and 3,000 pounds in weight.
For the longest time, we believed it to be a T-Rex pelvis because of the way it seemed, according to Faiella. We continued to dig around it until one of the girls on the expedition saw teeth, at which point we realized that it might not be a hip.
Students discovered the skull among 20 other bones thought to be from the same triceratops, two turtle shells, and the entire expedition lasted around two months.
The more information we discovered, the more thrilling it was, said senior Sophia Hessenkemper. "Realizing we were going to be able to take it back here to Westminster and starting a donations page in order to help fund the process of getting it back... that was big."
The process of organizing the dig began in 2019.
Professor of environmental science David Schmidt claimed that after a farmer near Shade Hill, South Dakota, informed local authorities about bone parts poking out of the earth on his land, officials learned of the dig.
Schmidt was given the option to excavate the location, but he was had to wait for the necessary authorizations from many agencies.
Schmidt claimed that despite the delay, by the first week the dig had become a reality.
As a young child, I always dreamed of doing this, Schmidt stated. We were extremely overwhelmed when we realized what we had because "I never thought I would find something as big and significant as this."
The skull and other fossils uncovered during the excavation are officially owned by Schmidt. It took a lot of work to transport the find back to Westminster, and the skull had to be covered in thick layers of plaster to keep it safe.
The 1.5-ton skull was difficult to move into its present storage location, and the weight of the fossil actually caused some floor tiles in the school's science center to break. To preserve the fossil on campus, the program is presently soliciting money to repair a room in the building.
Schmidt stated that whenever that occurs, their work will only just begin.
“The ultimate objective, according to him, is to ascertain the triceratops' story and its place in the evolution of life as a whole. That is our ultimate objective.”
