Geologist, student will head west for 'dinosaur dig'

A bed containing thousands of dinosaur bones in south central Montana is the destination for the curator of Ohio State’s Orton Geological Museum and an Ohio State freshman. The pair leave for the site on Monday, Aug. 5, for a month of digging and discovery.

Dale Gnidovec, curator of the museum, helped excavate hundreds of bones from the site near Bridger, Montana, in 2000 and 2001. The bones are those of juvenile Diplodocus (one of the “brontosaurs”) that were trapped 150 million years ago while walking across the mud flat.

Gnidovec will be accompanied by Sam Perry, a recent graduate of Eastmoor Academy, who will enter Ohio State this fall. As a high school student, Perry worked with Gnidovec at the Orton Museum during the last three school years, and developed a keen interest in geology and paleontology.

Gnidovec and Perry will be available to reporters to talk about the upcoming dig at 3 p.m. on Thursday (8/1) at the Orton Geological Museum inside Orton Hall, 155 South Oval Mall.

WHAT:Dale Gnidovec, curator of the Orton Geological Museum, and OSU freshman
Sam Perry, will be available to media to discuss their upcoming expedition.

WHEN: 3 p.m. on Thursday (8/1).

WHERE: Orton Geological Museum, on the first floor of Orton Hall, 155 South Oval Mall.

WHY: Media can learn about an expedition before it begins.