Geologically, Utahraptor Ridge spans the late Jurassic Morrison Formation at its base, with the early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation above, and a thin cap of Naturita Formation at the very top. The quarry site is in the Upper Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation, where the fossiliferous sediments are near the shoreline of an Early Cretaceous lake. Conditions near the lake created a quicksand boil, and scientists believe the collapse of that quicksand is preserved as the massive sandstone block filled with Utahraptors, an iguanodontid dinosaur, and some other interesting fossils found so far.

With the generous help of the UGS, The Museum of Life at Thanksgiving Point, donors, and volunteers, the megablock was excavated, dragged out of the ground and into a lab at Thanksgiving Point in 2015. For five years, the Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient Life generously provided lab facilities for fossil preparation in a display setting dedicated to paleontology, education and outreach.

In early 2020, the megablock was moved to a lab created for the project at the Utah Geological Survey facility in Salt Lake City. Preparation and documentation of the block is precise and methodical, and preparation is expected to take many years. The project has already fostered scientific research and publication on the geologic specifics (taphonomy) of the quicksand trap. Check out additional information via the links provided below. If you go to visit Utahraptor Ridge, be prepared for rough roads and desert conditions. And please always report any fossils you might find to land managers.