Black Hills Institute of Geological Research Inc., has long been recognized as the world’s finest paleontological and earth science supply house. The Institute’s primary business is supplying professionally prepared fossils, fossil casts, and mineral specimens for research, teaching, and display. Our staff have been the leaders in developing new techniques and new materials for use in fossil exploration, collection, preparation, and exhibition.

 - Field Work
 - Preparation
 - Molding & Casting
 - Mounting
 - Research
 - Displays & Services

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Probably our best known field work in recent years is the excavation of several Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons including the famous SUE and STAN. The Tyrannosaurus rex fossil skeleton STAN was collected, prepared and mounted by BHI and is now exhibited in our museum, located in Hill City, South Dakota. Our staff collects vertebrate and invertebrate fossils in many locations throughout the United States and the world. Field Work section...

Institute staff are known worldwide for their excellent fossil preparation and restoration skills. In the last quarter century, dozens of amateur, professional and academic fossil collectors and preparators have been trained by our staff in using the Institute's innovative techniques and materials. Institute collectors and preparators are experts in the preparation of both vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. Preparation section...

Our Hill City facility houses the world's most extensive research collection of T. rex fossil material. Dinosaur researchers from every continent come to the Institute to study this material. The Institutes enormous fossil collection is recognized as one of the world's finest. This collection is always available to visiting researchers. Peter Larson's research papers on Tyrannosaurus rex and Neal Larson's publications on ammonites are widely read and respected throughout the professional and amateur communities. The Institute's collecting sites and laboratories are visited annually by hundreds of students, instructors, researchers, as well as the general public. Research section...

In the past decade, Institute staff have successfully developed new methods and materials for molding fossil specimens and producing cast replicas that retain the look and feel of the original fossils. These exquisite reproductions retain such fine detail that they are used in scientific research. Molding & Casting section...

The Institute has also created a unique, modular, freestanding method for mounting both real and cast large vertebrate skeletons. The modular method makes it possible for three or four people to assemble a full size dinosaur skeleton in just a couple of hours using simple tools. This method also allows our mounts to move through normal sized doors and reduces crating and shipping costs tremendously. Our freestanding mounts become dynamic exhibits that truly seem alive. Mounting section...