Meet SUE
Consider the most recognizable examples of fossils—those from dinosaurs. One notable example is a
Tyrannosaurus rex named SUE. In the years that followed its death, the body of this T. rex decomposed,
but not all of its remains were lost. Some underwent
physical and chemical processes that converted
them into rock. The typical natural processes that
lead to the total decomposition of a dying body were
interrupted, and a rock-like copy of the skeleton was
formed that lasted for millions of years until August
1990 when paleontologist Sue Hendrickson discovered it.
The dinosaur was named SUE in her honor (even
though no one knows whether the dinosaur was
actually female). At 12. 9 meters (40.5 feet) long, 4
meters ( 13 feet) tall at the hip, and with 90% of its
bone volume recovered, SUE is the largest and most
complete fossilized T. rex ever found.
SUE is the largest and best preserved
T. rex dinosaur ever found.
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Sue Hendrickson and Pete
Larson pose at the site
where SUE was
excavated.
The T. rex dinosaur named SUE was unveiled at the Field Museum in
Chicago, Ill., on May 17, 2000.
When you see the skeleton of an animal that died millions of years ago—from a small fish to a huge dinosaur—you may wonder how the bones that make up the skeleton lasted so long and did not decay. In fact, these are
not actually bones, but rocks that formed in or around
the bones. More surprisingly, these bone-looking rocks,
also called fossils, are very difficult to form, even though
there is a vast record of life that has been preserved in
the form of fossils. So, how is it that some living beings
seem to avoid decomposition and leave evidence of what
they looked like and how they lived millions and millions
of years ago? And how exactly are
fossils made?
Click on the image
of the green dino
to watch a video
on how fossils
are prepared
for museum
exhibition.
10 ChemMatters | OC TOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 www.acs.org/chemmatters
By Gail Mitchell Emilsson and
Michael Tinnesand