Aug 28, 2026 · 50 min
A New Jersey fossil bed captures the dinosaurs’ final day
The day the dinosaurs died
The episode connects a precisely preserved mass extinction to the human responsibility to understand and protect the living world that followed.
- 1Edelman Fossil Park preserves an unusually complete fossil assemblage from the asteroid impact 66 million years ago.
- 2The catastrophe unfolded through earthquakes, atmospheric debris, extreme heat, and a tsunami that devastated ecosystems.
- 3Ken Lacovara turns fossil hunting into a lesson about deep time, discovery, public participation, and stewardship of Earth’s biosphere.
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A child’s final fossil hunt produces a large mystery object, capturing the excitement of discovery that the museum hopes to share with the public.
The brief
At New Jersey’s Edelman Fossil Park, Kenneth Lacovara leads a descent through geological layers to a thin bed packed with fossils from the asteroid impact.
Lacovara reconstructs the catastrophe 66 million years ago: an earthquake, atmospheric debris, extreme heat, and tsunami combined to devastate ecosystems.
The site’s fossils preserve an unusually complete assemblage of organisms killed during the event, turning a global extinction into a tangible local record.
Lacovara’s own path runs from childhood fossil hunting to giant dinosaur discoveries in Patagonia, including Dreadnoughtus, a remarkably complete titanosaur.
Public visitors can hunt ordinary fossil-bearing material while researchers document the protected extinction layer, making discovery part of the museum’s mission.
The episode ends with a child’s mysterious find and Lacovara’s larger argument: understanding deep time should inspire gratitude, wonder, and stewardship.
Featuring
Kenneth Lacovara
Patagonia
Why Dinosaurs MatterBooks & mentions
Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.