Preliminary Investigation of Soft-Tissue Mineralization in an Edmontosaurus Mummy from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota: Insights from XRD, XRF, and Petrographic Analysis
Presenter(s)
Meagan Kaufenberg-Lashua
Abstract
Dinosaur "mummies" are extremely rare fossils that preserve not only skeletal material but also skin and other soft tissues. These fossils form only under geochemical conditions that inhibit decay while promoting mineralization of soft tissues. In 2024, a team from Winona State University excavated the remains of an Edmontosaurus from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of western North Dakota. The remains were preserved in fluvial channel sandstone and included skin and soft tissues preserved in iron-rich clastic sediment. This preliminary study integrates powder X ray diffraction (XRD), X ray fluorescence (XRF), and petrographic thin section analysis to examine the diagenetic history of the specimen and its host sediment. Together, these analytical approaches help to illustrate the burial conditions that enabled the mineralogical preservation of soft tissues in this Edmontosaurus mummy and provide a framework for comparing this specimen to the handful of other dinosaur mummies known worldwide.
College
College of Science & Engineering
Department
Geoscience
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
William Beatty
Location
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Start Date
4-23-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 11:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1b=10am-11am
Poster Number
40
Preliminary Investigation of Soft-Tissue Mineralization in an Edmontosaurus Mummy from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota: Insights from XRD, XRF, and Petrographic Analysis
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Dinosaur "mummies" are extremely rare fossils that preserve not only skeletal material but also skin and other soft tissues. These fossils form only under geochemical conditions that inhibit decay while promoting mineralization of soft tissues. In 2024, a team from Winona State University excavated the remains of an Edmontosaurus from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of western North Dakota. The remains were preserved in fluvial channel sandstone and included skin and soft tissues preserved in iron-rich clastic sediment. This preliminary study integrates powder X ray diffraction (XRD), X ray fluorescence (XRF), and petrographic thin section analysis to examine the diagenetic history of the specimen and its host sediment. Together, these analytical approaches help to illustrate the burial conditions that enabled the mineralogical preservation of soft tissues in this Edmontosaurus mummy and provide a framework for comparing this specimen to the handful of other dinosaur mummies known worldwide.
Comments
Kaufenberg-Lashua, Meagan M