Clint Boyd

@boydpaleo.bsky.social

759 Followers 525 Following

Vertebrate Paleontologist. Curator of the North Dakota State Fossil Collection. Leading the #DinoMummy Research Group. All opinions are my own. He/Him/His.

Fred Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Earth Science (hashtag#Geology) from Minot State University with an applied research focus in hashtag#hydrogeology, and a Master of Science degree in Geology and Geological Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with an applied research focus in geologic mapping and fractured rock hydrogeology. With over thirty years of experience, he has served the DMR in various technical, managerial, and operational roles during the past 22 years as a field geologist, operations and support staff manager, and most recently as NDGS Surface Section Manager. Anderson is a registered Professional Geologist (Wisconsin) and has been a member of several geoscience organizations, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the Geological Society of America (GSA), the Seismological Society of America (SSA), and the North Dakota Geological Society (past-President) and Sigma Xi. “Fred’s extensive experience, leadership, and deep understanding of our operations make him well‑prepared to take on this additional responsibility, in addition to his Surface Section Manager role,” said Director Anderson. Boyd and Anderson will assume their new roles on July 1, 2026.
The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources is pleased to announce Dr. Clint Boyd as the new State Geologist and Fred Anderson as Assistant State Geologist. Born in southeastern Wisconsin, Dr. Boyd first searched for fossils in the American West during high school on trips to southeastern Montana with his grandfather. Those trips prompted him to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study both biology and geology in preparation for a future career in paleontology. He also volunteered in the fossil preparation lab at the university’s Geology Museum and joined field expeditions to Montana, Wyoming, and British Columbia. His graduate work at the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin focused on the anatomy and evolutionary relationships of ornithischian dinosaurs, but in the summers, he worked at Badlands National Park in South Dakota collecting and preparing Eocene and Oligocene mammals. After earning his PhD in 2012, he served as the Haslem Postdoctoral Fellow at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, where he focused on studying the diversity of hashtag#Eocene and hashtag#Oligocene mammals in the Great Plains Region of North America. In 2015, he was hired by the North Dakota Geological Survey as the hashtag#Paleontology Section Manager and has spent the last decade studying the wealth of fossils preserved within the state and investigating the stratigraphic relationships of North Dakota’s hashtag#Paleogene rocks. “Clint’s expertise, vision, leadership, and commitment to our mission make him exceptionally well‑suited for this role. Clint has been a great leader thus far, and I have no doubt that he will thrive in this new capacity,” said DMR Director Nathan Anderson.
A job description for the State Geologist Position at the North Dakota Geological Survey. The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) is seeking a State Geologist to join our team in Bismarck, ND. As a member of the DMR, which includes both the Oil and Gas Division and Geological Survey, you'll help support responsible energy and mineral development across the state. The DMR regulates and promotes the state’s mineral resources while protecting the rights of all stakeholders, ensuring long term benefits for mineral owners, industry, and the public. The State Geologist, also serving as the Director of the Geological Survey (NDGS), is a critical member of the executive leadership team. The State Geologist reports directly to the DMR Director and, at a minimum, provides quarterly reports to the ND Industrial Commission (Governor, Attorney General, and Agriculture Commissioner). The State Geologist is responsible for hiring, developing, and managing NDGS staff; ensuring operational excellence across the division; developing and managing the NDGS budget; overseeing and executing regulatory programs; and supporting other state agencies. The State Geologist engages in the legislative process, provides oral and written testimony on the NDGS budget as well as geologic and regulatory topics, collaborates with external stakeholders, and sets a strategic vision for the NDGS. The NDGS maintains the Wilson M. Laird Core and Sample Library on the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks and operates a strong paleontology program that manages public fossil digs and curates the state rock, mineral, and fossil collections at the ND Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck. The State Geologist represents the NDGS nationally in organizations such as the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), and the Geological Society of America (GSA). Occasional travel is required.
A list of specimen numbers included in a soon to be published study. Most species names are replaced with question marks to mask what the study is about.
A small cropped frame from some paleo artwork being used as a contest to see who can guess what the topic of the forthcoming paper is!
The logo for the 2026 AMMP meeting in Bismarck, ND. The outline of a hadrosaurid dinosaur is overlaid on a pattern of fossilized dinosaur skin in the shape of the state of North Dakota.
A plaster jacket covering mammoth bones sits in a pit next to a garage. A light shines down in the hole to illuminate the area, while the sun is starting to rise on the eastern horizon.
Photograph of a partially cleaned skeleton of the fish Ichthyodectes from the Pierre Formation of North Dakota, from the Cretaceous Period. Collected in August of 2024. Specimen in the North Dakota State Fossil Collection.
An image from the simpsons of the antique store owner firing a toy lazer gun while saying Zap.
An image of a job advertisement for a paleontologist working for the North Dakota Geological Survey. Position will start on or around July 1, 2025 and applications are due at midnight on May 4, 2025. Salary ranges from $60,000 to $70,000. At the bottom of the advertisement there are images of individuals participating in the NDGS public fossil digs, which will be a main duty of the selected candidate.
Paleontologist Cathy Lash works on removing rock from a large plaster field jacket that contains a seven foot long skeleton of the Cretaceous fish Ichthyodectes. Pierre Shale Formation of North Dakota.
Paleontologist Clint Boyd sits on a large plaster field jacket containing a skeleton of the fish Ichthyodectes. Collected in August of 2024 at the Pembina Public Fossil Dig.
A hand held flat, palm up holding with three small leptictid mammal skulls. Skulls are facing to the left.
A fossilized left jugal from the hadrosaurud Edmontosaurus collected from the Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota.
A dessicated cow carcass in a field in North Dakota.
Elemental map showing concentrations of barium in the area of fossilized skin analyzed. Brighter blue colors indicate higher concentrations, dark black areas indicate very low concentrations.
Computer screen showing an SEM image of a nicely formed grain of Ilmenite (titanium iron oxide) within the thin section of fossilized dinosaur skin being analyzed.
Screenshot of the output of an SEM-EDS elemental mapping scan done on a piece of fossikized dinosaur skin. The display is showing the distribution of phosphorous in this image.
Clint Boyd examining thin sections of fossilized dinosaur skin using an SEM. The computer monitor shows a magnified image of an area of skin.
Clint Boyd (front left) being shown how to use the SEM system by NDSU faculty.
A microscope slide of a thin section of fossilized dinosaur skin sitting on the mount of the SEM.
Photograph of one of the SEM machines on the NDSU campus.
Photograph of a plushie Kulindadromeus holding a take out container from Cinnabon. They are placed on the dash of a truck.
Closeup image of the fossilized skin and underlying bones on the right hand of Dakota the mummified Edmontosaurus.
Fossilized dinosaur mummy Dakota (NDGS 2000), a specimen of the hadrosaurid Edmontosaurus from the Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota.
Photograph of the Senckenberg dinosaur mummy.
Using a portable Xray fluorescence spectrometer to assess the chemical composition of a sample of rock containing dinosaur skin impressions.
A paleontologist, Trissa Ford, stands next to a large plaster field jacket that contains the full skeleton of the extinct fish Ichthyodectes.
A natural mummy of a domesticated cow with all internal soft tissues lost, but the loose skin remains draped over the skeleton.
Title slide from a powerpoint showing an artist reconstruction of the hadrosairid Dinosaur Edmontosaurus. The talk title is: Making a good impression: Identification of multiple diagenetic pathways for the formation of dinosaurian 'mummies'
Photograph of a young ball python in its enclosure.