Overview
- Two large blocks containing articulated sacral vertebrae and the last dorsal vertebrae, each just under one tonne, were lifted from Ribadesella’s cliffs and delivered to the museum in Colunga.
- An NH90 (HT.29) helicopter from the Army’s airmobile forces executed the lift with Batallón de Helicópteros de Maniobra III, after reconnaissance by Batallón de Helicópteros de Transporte V, with support from SEPA, the Guardia Civil and local services.
- The fossils were field-jacketed in plaster for transport and will require meticulous cleaning at MUJA before detailed analysis.
- Geophysical prospection with ground‑penetrating radar is planned to locate remaining material, with at least two or three additional excavation campaigns expected next year that may again require aerial extraction.
- Scientists estimate the sauropod at about 20 meters in length and say it could represent a new species, with international specialists Pablo Puerta and Oliver Rauhut participating in the study.