Utah Geological Survey announces excavation of historic Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed, shedding light on end-Jurassic mass extinction

MOAB, UT (November, 2026) –The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) has officially opened a new paleontological excavation site that may hold the key to understanding a major evolutionary turning point. The site, which teams officially opened for excavation in mid-October, is currently tied as potentially the oldest Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed in North America. Estimated at between 138-141 Million years old, this site provides context on the transition from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous.

Geologically, the locality is nearly equivalent to the UGS’s renowned Doellings Bowl Site, located six miles to the east near the base of the Cedar Mountain Formation. Paleontologists believe this new site will be vital to ongoing research investigating the end-Jurassic dinosaurian mass extinction—a catastrophic global event that led to the near-complete extinction of Utah’s famed Morrison Formation dinosaur fauna (which includes iconic dinosaurs like Stegosaurus, Allosaurus and Apatosaurus).

The newly opened site also appears to contain the remains of a newly discovered species of armored dinosaur. This unique dinosaur is currently being described and named by State Paleontologist Jim Kirkland in honor of his long-time colleague, Don DeBlieux.

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