Quarry A

Quarry A. . Behind this ridge is the site of Quarry A, the first scientific excavation conducted at Agate. In 1904, Olaf Peterson of the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh found fossil bones of many rhinoceroses, most of them from the large, heavy-bodied Diceratherium niobrarense., A volcanic ash layer called the Agate Ash found just above Quarry A has been dated at 21.9 million years, providing evidence of the approximate age of the fossils. Quarry A is older than the waterhole bonebed at University and Carnegie Hills by an unknown time interval, probably in excess of one million years. , Remember! , Collecting fossils of any size or type is a violation of federal regulations., Captions , Lower Right: This rhinoceros, Diceratherium niobrarense, was the most commonly found animal in Quarry A, while the smaller rhinoceros, Menoceras, was rare. In the main Agate bonebed, the opposite held true. , Lower Right: In this 1908 photo, University of Nebraska workers drive a heavy wagon load of fossils down University Hill. The light colored ridge near the top enter the picture includes Quarry A.