By Xinyi Li, EDITOR

April 22, 2019, marks the 50th Earth Day. April 21 was the open media day of Chongqing Planning and Natural Resources Bureau. Let’s take a tour at the Fossil Restoration Center of Chongqing Geological Relics Protection and Research Laboratory. Visitors touring the laboratory can witness professional fossil restorers engaged in the processes of fossil excavation, restoration, and scaffolding.

Staff is doing the fossil restoration

Three main procedures

According to Dr. Dai Hui, Chief Engineer and Senior Engineer of No.208 Geological Team, Geological Heritage Protection Research Institute, Chongqing Bureau of Geology and Minerals Exploration, dinosaur fossils are often found in the mountains. Many Chongqing citizens also often find them in main urban areas. Construction workers most often find the remains as they are building houses and new roads. Once citizens find the fossils they then inform paleontologists immediately to come excavate the fossils carefully.

The dinosaur fossil

There are three main procedures throughout the process. The first step is to “pack”. The experts dig out the fossils and rocks together, packing them into large bags at the scene and transport them to the Fossil Restoration Center.

The first step is to “pack”

The second step is to “repair”. They open the package and conduct “preliminary repair”, during which they use hammers, chisels and other tools to peel away large chunks of rocks. Then, experts carry out “fine repair”, during which professional technicians use air compressors, pneumatic pens and other equipment to remove the tiny rocks attached little by little, slowly revealing the dinosaur fossils.

Staff is doing the fossil restoration

The third step is to “restore”. Due to the long-term geological changes, some fossils have been deformed. Moreover, they are almost always incomplete. The complete dinosaur skeletons on display in the Chongqing Natural History Museum are the scaled-up or scaled-down simulations of specimens or of the same dinosaur species. During the restoring process, the professional restorers will utilize the well-preserved structures and restore the lost parts, thus giving birth to the complete skeletal structures seen in an exhibit.

Staff is doing the fossil restoration

Source: CQCB