Has extracted 800 kg bones from Svalbard – NRK

– I am very happy with the season. In summer we have put together a fantastic large material at around 800 kg of bones from Flower Valley. Just the fact that we manage to collect such large quantities of bones from Svalbard’s unique about this lizard digging project. It has never been done before, says Jørn Hurum, a paleontologist at the University of Oslo and head of the excavation, told NRK.

Monster Diggers have been doing excavations on the hillside just north of Longyearbyen since 2004. They are looking for fossils of extinct marine reptiles, and has previously made major discoveries. In 2007 they found among the world’s largest and most dangerous havøgle pliosaur – “Predator X”.

– We have probably found some new species also in the summer, but we come straight from the excavation and has not had time to examine them not, says Hurum.

Do jowl can provide many answers

After two week excavation said scientists on Svalbard completed his year lizard digs on Friday. They hold lectures on this year’s findings on mine warehouse in Longyearbyen in the evening. Here’s paleontologist Jørn Hurum at an earlier excavation on Svalbard.

Photo: Kirsti Moe / NRK

This summer, researchers have excavated what they believe is the lower jaw of an animal that appears as mysterious to science; Omphalosaurus.

– It is unclear whether this is a fish lizard or not. If we have found throughout the lower jaw of the animal, the first time it happens. It may tell us something about how the animal chewing, how big skull was and perhaps more about how big the animal was. When we come much further in trying to understand how Svalbard and life on Earth looked like 248 million years ago, says Hurum.

Here keeps Tanja Wintrich, fellow in plesiosaur development at the University of Bonn, reveal a bit of what the researchers believe is the jaw of species omphalosaurus. She was very pleased with found her.

Photo: Achim Reisdorf

According to dinosaur researcher lived omphalosaurus in the ocean, and had strange, spherical teeth.

This year, scientists have excavated a beinlag which is 247- 248 million years old, which contains a jumbled seabed with very much bones. These stem from many different animals, according to Hurum.

– This summer we have found bones after fairly large sharks, with finding spikes of up to 26 centimeters. It suggests sharks between five and ten meters. We found lots of vertebrae and jaw pieces of what are probably two different ichthyosaurs.

Here Burial researchers make fossils skiferbit for skiferbit. Note vertebrae center of the image.

Photo: Jørn Hurum

Tok out 70 tons of slate by hand

the research team discovered the bones created in 2014.

– No one else in the world has found a similar beinlag with the age. In summer I put therefore every effort to dig out a fairly large part of the team. We have excavated an area of ​​11 times 3.5 m and have dug 1.5 meters down – until we hit it five centimeters thick bone layer, says Hurum.

The researchers had to extract 70 tons of slate hand to come down to the team.

– the eleven who have participated in the excavation is absolutely brilliant. We’re pretty tired, but this year as the other years, thankfully no ridges or knees broken, says Hurum and smile.

– The bones remain at the Natural History Museum in Oslo for generations to come, and will be studied by many generations of scientists, he adds.

The research team Svalbard in full swing with the excavation in Flower Hill.

Photo: Jørn Hurum