"Why Does the U.S. Army Own So Many Fossils?"

Atlas Obscura:

“I would say the majority of our archaeological [and paleontological] collections have come from the construction of the hydropower and flood control projects that happened in the 50s, 60s, and 70s,” says Jen Reardon, an archaeologist with the Corps. In the 70s, for example, the Corps blasted through earth and rock to build an emergency spillway for the Caesar Creek Lake dam in Ohio. The work shattered layers of shale and limestone to expose an ancient seabed approximately 438 million years old, studded with brachiopods, bryozoa, and crinoids.

While many of these fossils are left in situ, like in Coralville, the Corps has taken pains to excavate certain superstar specimens.

*Previously: Packaged dinosaur meat