New dinosaur fossils excavated at Dinosaur National Monument

Jan 16, 2026, 6:35 PM | Updated: 8:40 pm

Five people in yellow safety vests work around a large plastered coated rock containing dinosaur fossils. Monument staff work on excavated dinosaur fossils in the Quarry Exhibit Hall Parking Lot. NPS/ReBecca Hunt-Foster

BY DIANA JONES

KSLNewsRadio

SALT LAKE CITY — Paleontologists and crews announced Friday they removed dinosaur fossils from a parking lot construction site in Dinosaur National Monument.

According to the National Parks Service, the fossils were originally found on Sept. 16, 2025, when construction crews removed a portion of asphalt.

After the discovery was made, construction was paused, and paleontologists were allowed access to the fossil. They now believe the fossils belong to a large, long-necked dinosaur, most likely Diplodocus.

The discovery was made near Quarry Exhibit Hall, making it the first fossil excavations at this location since 1924.

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New dinosaur fossils excavated at Dinosaur National Monument

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