A 67.5-million-year-old dinosaur fossil was found in Denver, buried 763 feet below a museum parking lot, marking it as the oldest and deepest fossil discovered in the area. The discovery occurred during geothermal drilling to explore sustainable heating options, funded by a $250,000 grant from Colorado's governor. This unexpected find happened when researchers decided to search for additional samples while drilling. The fossil's identification and exact species remain undetermined, demonstrating the chance nature of the discovery that curator James Hagadorn likened to winning the lottery.
It's basically like winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day. No one could have predicted that this little square foot of land where we started drilling would actually contain a dinosaur bone beneath it!
The ancient bone fragment was buried some 763 feet below the institution's parking lot, making it the oldest and deepest such fossil to be discovered within city limits.
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