Dinosaur remains can be found worldwide—from the barren deserts of Mongolia to the cold slopes of the Antarctic mountains. This is because, at the time dinosaurs roamed the land, all of today’s landmasses were connected or close by, allowing dinosaurs to freely move about.

Still, all dinosaur dig sites have something in common: The action of natural—or sometimes human—agents has eroded the land, exposing the buried fossil-bearing rock. In many cases, the best place to discover the first bones that signal a major find is where these erosion processes continue today. In the Gobi Desert, the passing of another sandstorm means a fresh batch of bones will be waiting on the surface. Bases of sea cliffs, where the water batters the rock during high tides or storms, will have new fossils exposed. Areas of heavy downpours, flash flooding, and excavation in a commercial quarry are all good places to find the bones that will trigger the start of the formal dig process.