NPS Photo by Tom Farrell

Jacketing a Fossil

Jackets for the Fossils

The process of becoming wet and dry and of freezing and thawing has caused the fossils to become extremely fractured and fragile. The scientists examining the area have to jacket the fossils they find so they won’t fall apart upon inspection. To jacket something means that a plaster cast is created to surround the item, then when the fossil is taken to the lab for studying, the cast can be removed.

NPS Photo by Tom Farrell

Marking a Jacketed Fossil

A Puzzle Like No Other

Without the jacket, the fossil will break into many pieces and putting them back together again would be like putting together the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle.