Could a pit of sand in southern New Jersey be one of the most important sites for paleontology in the world?

Dr. Ken Lacovara isn’t sure about that yet, but he’s working to figure it out. Lacovara, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel, has been digging at this particular greensand mine for years. A long line of famous paleontologists dug at this site before him. And, in fact, New Jersey has a history of significant paleontological finds: The world’s first dinosaur skeleton was found nearby in Haddonfield, New Jersey. (That specimen now belongs to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.)

But, until recently, Lacovara appreciated his New Jersey dig site primarily for its location and not its legacy. Less than a 30-minute drive from Drexel’s campus in Philadelphia, it’s a convenient place to bring students to get hands-on field experience…