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Freedom251 › Blog › fossils

What to Do If You Find a Possible Fossil Footprint

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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Leave it where it is, avoid touching or cleaning it, photograph it without disturbing the site, record where and when you found it, and tell the authority responsible for the land. A footprint-shaped mark may be a trace fossil, but appearance alone cannot confirm that it is one. Whether you may collect or keep it depends on the land and local rules, so ask the land manager before moving anything.

What counts as a fossil footprint?

A footprint can be a trace fossil: evidence of an organism’s activity preserved in sedimentary rock, rather than preserved body material. The National Park Service also describes fossils as remains or traces of past organisms or biological activity and includes footprints among fossil examples (NPS: What Are Fossils?). That makes a footprint a plausible fossil type; it does not establish that a particular indentation, pattern, or mark is fossilized. A footprint-shaped feature remains a possible fossil until it has been assessed. Leave identification to a qualified authority or specialist rather than trying to confirm it by scraping, cleaning, or removing it.

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In other words, you do not need to decide in the field whether you have found a fossil. Your useful role is to preserve the feature as you found it, document its setting, and pass the information to someone responsible for assessing discoveries at that location.

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What to do at the site

1. Stop and leave the feature in place

Do not pry it out, scrape it, clean it, cast it, or move it. Handling can damage the feature or remove it from the context specialists need to assess it. The National Park Service advises visitors in national parks to leave fossils where they find them and tell a ranger (NPS fossil-discovery guidance). A site-specific NPS procedure begins with the direct instruction, “Please do not touch it” (Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument).

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That means no experimenting to see whether the mark is shallow or deep, no brushing away material to make it clearer, and no making a cast. Even if the feature looks loose or easy to carry, leave it where it lies until the responsible authority gives you instructions. The same caution applies if you are uncertain whether the mark is a fossil: uncertainty is a reason to avoid disturbing it, not a reason to test it yourself.

2. Photograph it without disturbing it

Take one close photograph of the feature and another that shows its wider setting. If you can do so without touching or placing anything on the find, include an ordinary object for scale; Badlands National Park gives examples such as a dollar bill, water bottle, or hand (Badlands National Park fossil guidance). Do not put a ruler, coin, or other object on the feature just to make the image more useful.

The close view can show the shape and surface, while the wider view helps show where it sits in the surrounding ground or rock. A scale reference is optional: do not place anything on the footprint, lean on it, or move material to improve a picture. If you cannot get a useful close-up safely, take the photographs you can without disturbing the site and tell the authority that the images are limited.

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3. Record where and when you found it

Save GPS coordinates or mark the location on a map. If you cannot do either, write a detailed description of how to reach the spot. Record the discovery date and a brief description of what you saw. These details help the responsible authority locate and assess the feature; they are also part of the National Park Service’s discovery guidance (NPS fossil-discovery guidance).

For a useful record, keep the location information together with the photographs and date. A smartphone or handheld GPS can record coordinates, while a map or written directions can help if coordinates are unavailable. Do not make a visible marker at the site if the land manager discourages it. Your record should help the authority find the spot without requiring you to alter the site.

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Do not leave a visible marker at the site if the land manager discourages it. The Tule Springs procedure also asks finders not to share location details or photographs publicly or on social media; follow instructions from the authority managing the specific site rather than assuming every location has the same privacy rule (Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument).

4. Report it to the authority responsible for the land

Share the location, date, and photographs through the reporting route the site authority gives you. On U.S. national-park land, tell a ranger. Elsewhere, the appropriate contact may be the land manager, a state or provincial geological survey, a museum or university paleontology department, or a heritage authority. For example, Utah’s Geological Survey encourages reporting finds to the state paleontologist or geological survey (Utah Geological Survey guidance).

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Tell the authority where the feature is, when you found it, and what you observed; provide photographs as requested. If you do not know which office is responsible, start with whoever manages the land and ask where the report should go. If the site is a park, follow its reporting instructions instead of assuming a general geological survey is the right first contact. Reporting is a practical next step even when you cannot tell whether the feature is a fossil.

Can you keep or collect it?

Do not assume you can keep it. The applicable rules depend on the land, jurisdiction, and fossil type. The National Park Service says collecting fossils in national parks is prohibited except for scientific collection under an approved permit (NPS fossil-discovery guidance). Utah’s guidance says what may be collected depends on the fossil and land ownership (Utah Geological Survey).

Other regional guidance illustrates why the location matters. Prince Edward Island directs finders to contact the provincial archaeologist, provide the discovery location and date, and leave objects in place unless they are threatened by natural or cultural processes (Prince Edward Island fossil guidance). The Scottish Fossil Code recommends expert advice, reporting unusual finds to a museum, university, or the British Geological Survey, and cautions against extracting part of a specimen (Scottish Fossil Code).

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These are regional or land-specific instructions, not one universal rule. Identify who manages the land and ask that authority about local law and handling before collecting, moving, or keeping anything. The cited national-park rule applies to national parks; Utah’s guidance is specific to Utah, and the PEI and Scottish guidance applies to those regions. Do not treat one location’s rules as permission to collect somewhere else.

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If you are asking “Can I keep it?” the safe answer before you know the site rules is: do not take it. A mark may not be a fossil, and even a confirmed fossil may be subject to collection rules based on land ownership and jurisdiction. Ask first; do not extract a piece to take to an expert or keep as a souvenir.

Who should you contact?

  • National park: Tell a ranger and follow the park’s directions. NPS guidance says to photograph the find, record its location, leave it where found, and tell a ranger.
  • Other public land: Contact the office responsible for the site or the relevant local geological survey. Ask the land manager which authority handles fossil reports there.
  • Private land: Contact the landowner or land manager, and ask which local geological or heritage authority should assess the find.
  • Unsure who manages the location: Start with the local geological survey, museum, university paleontology department, or heritage authority and provide the location and date.

There is no single reporting contact for every possible find. The useful decision points are who manages the land and which jurisdiction applies. A ranger is the indicated contact for a U.S. national park; another location may direct you to a geological survey, museum, university, or heritage official. Contacting an appropriate local office can also help you identify the correct next step when ownership or responsibility is unclear.

Tell the first authority enough to identify the site, but use its preferred reporting method and respect any request to keep the location private. In Tule Springs, for instance, the NPS asks people to send photographs to rangers and not post the location or images publicly (Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument). That is site-specific guidance: follow the instructions for the actual place rather than assuming every authority has the same public-sharing rule.

If the feature is threatened

If you are worried that the feature could be damaged by natural or human activity, tell the responsible authority promptly and explain what threat you can see. Do not decide on your own to move it, cover it, or mark the location; ask the land manager what action is appropriate. Prince Edward Island’s regional guidance says objects should be left in place unless threatened by natural or cultural processes, but that is not a universal handling rule (Prince Edward Island fossil guidance).

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The right response depends on the site and the authority in charge. Describe the risk when you report the find and follow local instructions. Avoid applying a procedure from another jurisdiction or setting without confirmation.

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If you find it during construction or ground disturbance

If the feature appears during development or industrial work, do not treat the situation as an ordinary visitor discovery. A British Columbia government protocol for fossil discoveries in that work context says to suspend nearby work and ground disturbance, leave possible fossils in place, establish a protective buffer, and report through the site supervisor to a qualified paleontologist or fossil office (British Columbia fossil-discovery protocol). Its 30-metre buffer is an instruction for that stated development and industrial-activity context, not a general buffer distance for members of the public. Follow the protocol and responsible authority applicable to the actual site.

For a worksite discovery, the example workflow therefore differs from a visitor’s basic report: stop nearby disturbance under the applicable protocol, keep the possible fossil in place, and report through the supervisor to the qualified paleontologist or fossil office identified for the site. Do not transfer the British Columbia protocol or its 30-metre buffer to a different project or a casual visit; the research supports it only for its specified development and industrial context.

What not to do

  • Do not dig, pry, scrape, clean, cast, or carry the feature away.
  • Do not place an object on it to create a scale reference.
  • Do not assume a footprint-shaped mark is definitely a fossil or that it is yours to keep.
  • Do not post exact location details or photographs publicly when the site authority asks you to keep them private.
  • Do not leave a visible marker where the land manager discourages it.
  • Do not apply a worksite buffer or reporting workflow to a visitor discovery unless the responsible authority tells you to.
  • Do not assume collection rules are the same across public land, private land, parks, or different jurisdictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I find a possible fossil footprint?

Leave it in place and do not touch, scrape, clean, cast, or remove it. Take a close and wider photograph if you can do so without disturbing it, record the location and discovery date, and report it to the authority responsible for the land.

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Can I keep a fossil footprint I find?

Do not assume you can. Collection rules depend on the land, jurisdiction, and fossil type. Ask the land manager or relevant local authority before moving or collecting anything. In U.S. national parks, fossil collection is prohibited except for scientific collection under an approved permit.

Should I report a possible fossil footprint even if I am not sure it is a fossil?

Yes. A footprint-shaped mark is only a possible fossil until assessed. Report it to the responsible authority and let a qualified specialist or authority determine what it is.

What information should I include in a report?

Provide the location, discovery date, a brief description, and photographs as requested. GPS coordinates or a map point can help; if unavailable, write detailed directions. Follow the authority’s preferred reporting method.

Should I post the find online?

Follow instructions from the authority managing the site. Tule Springs National Park Service guidance asks finders not to share location details or photographs publicly or on social media; privacy instructions may differ by site.

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What if I find the feature during construction?

Use the procedure that applies to the specific worksite, not the ordinary visitor advice alone. A British Columbia government example protocol for development and industrial activity calls for suspending nearby ground disturbance, leaving the feature in place, setting a protective buffer, and reporting through the site supervisor. Its 30-metre buffer is specific to that context, not a general public rule.

The Bottom Line

Leave a possible fossil footprint where it is. Photograph it without touching it, record the location and date, and contact the authority responsible for the land. Do not collect or share its location publicly if the site authority asks you not to; local rules and instructions determine what happens next.

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