How are fossils formed?

You probably know Horridus is the most complete Triceratops fossil ever found. But how does a fossil stay safe underground for 67 million years?

When you think about all the events that had to take place to create the fossil and keep it protected, it’s astonishing that our Triceratops made it!

Let’s see how it might have happened.

Palaeoart by Rebecca Dart

The Triceratops died and its body was left undisturbed. It could have been torn apart by scavengers—but lucky for us something else happened …

A slow and muddy flood covered the body. Because it was quickly buried, it was kept in one piece right where it died.

The water surrounding the body contained just the right amount of bacteria to break down the animal's soft tissues … and the right minerals to change the bone into fossil.

Over time, dirt kept building up over the fossil. This squashed the fossil a bit, but kept it protected from the wind and rain.

Over millions of years the fossil stayed safely hidden. The rocks containing the fossil rose as a mountain formed, but the fossil itself was not disturbed.

After 67 million years, heavy rains opened a sink hole in the ground, right next to the fossil.

Craig the palaeontologist went for a walk and noticed something unusual by the sink hole. The hip bone of a Triceratops!