Field Jacketing 101

Many ask how we transport our incredible finds safely home to Cincinnati. Well, here is your chance to discover the magic that happens behind-the-scenes and in the field!

How to Field Jacket your fossil:
1-Find your fossil!
2-Carefully uncover it
3-Create a trench around the fossil






4-Map the fossil's location in the quarry and record your notes
5-Apply wet toilet paper completely covering the top
6-Layer strips of burlap and plaster to create a temporary cast


7-Mark your jacket with the site code
8-Undercut the matrix below your fossil, flip and repeat steps 5-7
9-Crack the remaining plaster off your hands and clothes

Tada! You have gathered, recorded and unearthed a fossil!

Our fossils are then transferred to the labs at Cincinnati Museum Center to await careful prep from staff and volunteers.