In 1998, a single sauropod tooth was discovered by private fossil collector Holger Lüdtke in an active quarry at Langenberg Mountain, between the communities of Oker, Harlingerode and Göttingerode in Germany.
The Langenberg chalk quarry had been active for more than a century; rocks are quarried using blasting and are mostly processed into fertilisers.
The quarry exposes a nearly continuous, 203 m (666 ft) thick succession of carbonate rocks belonging to the Süntel Formation, that ranges in age from the early Oxfordian to late Kimmeridgian stages and have been deposited in a shallow sea with a water depth of less than 30 m (98 ft).
The layers exposed in the quarry are oriented nearly vertically and slightly overturned, which is a result of the ascent of the adjacent Harz mountains during the Lower Cretaceous.
Widely known as a classical exposure among geologists, the quarry had been extensively studied, and visited by students of geology for decades.
Although rich in fossils of marine invertebrates, fossils of land-living animals had been rare.
The sauropod tooth was the first specimen of a sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic of northern Germany.

After more fossil material was found, including bones, excavation of the bone-bearing layer commenced in April 1999, conducted by a local association of private fossil collectors.
Although the quarry operator was cooperative, excavation was complicated by the near-vertical orientation of the layers that limited access, as well as by the ongoing quarrying.
The sauropod material could not be excavated directly from the layer but had to be collected from lose blocks that resulting from blasting.
The exact origin of the bone material was therefore unclear, but could later be traced to a single bed (bed 83).
An excavation conducted between July 20–28 of 2000 rescued ca.
50 t (49 long tons; 55 short tons) of bone-bearing blocks containing vertebrate remains.
Fossils were prepared and stored in the Dinosaur Park Münchehagen (DFMMh), a private dinosaur open-air museum located close to Hanover.
Due to the very good preservation of the bones, consolidating agents had to be applied only occasionally, and preparation could be conducted comparatively quickly as bone would separate easily from the surrounding rock.
Bones of simple shape could sometimes be prepared in less than an hour, while the preparation of a sacrum required a workload of three weeks.
By January 2001, 200 single vertebrate bones had already been prepared.
At this point, the highest bone density was found in a block measuring 70 x 70 cm, which contained ca.
20 bones.
By January 2002, preparation of an even larger block had revealed a partial sauropod skull – the first to be discovered in Europe.
Before complete removal of the bones from the block, a silicon cast was made of the block to document the precise three-dimensional position of the individual bones.

Part of the Europasaurus fossil material got damaged or destroyed by arson fire in the night from the 4th to the 5th of October, 2003.
The fire destroyed the laboratory and exhibition hall of the Dinosaur Park Münchehagen, resulting in the loss of 106 bones, which account for 15% of the bones prepared at the time.
Furthermore, the fire affected most of the still unprepared blocks, with firefighting water hitting the hot stone causing additional crumbling.
Destroyed specimens include DFMMh/FV 100, which included the best preserved vertebral series and the only complete pelvis.

In 2006, the new sauropod taxon was formally described as Europasaurus holgeri.
The given etymology for the genus name is "reptile from Europe", and the specific name honours Holger Lüdtke, the discoverer of the first fossils.
Given the comparatively small size of the bones, it was initially assumed that they stem from juvenile individuals.
The 2006 publication, however, established that the majority of specimens were adult, and that Europasaurus was an island dwarf.
The number of individual sauropod bones had increased to 650 and include variously articulated individuals; the material was found wi
In 1998, a single sauropod tooth was discovered by private fossil collector Holger Lüdtke in an active quarry at Langenberg Mountain, between the communities of Oker, Harlingerode and Göttingerode in Germany. The Langenberg chalk quarry had been active for more than a century; rocks are quarried using blasting and are mostly processed into fertilisers. The quarry exposes a nearly continuous, 203 m (666 ft) thick succession of carbonate rocks belonging to the Süntel Formation, that ranges in age from the early Oxfordian to late Kimmeridgian stages and have been deposited in a shallow sea with a water depth of less than 30 m (98 ft). The layers exposed in the quarry are oriented nearly vertically and slightly overturned, which is a result of the ascent of the adjacent Harz mountains during the Lower Cretaceous. Widely known as a classical exposure among geologists, the quarry had been extensively studied, and visited by students of geology for decades. Although rich in fossils of marine invertebrates, fossils of land-living animals had been rare. The sauropod tooth was the first specimen of a sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic of northern Germany.
After more fossil material was found, including bones, excavation of the bone-bearing layer commenced in April 1999, conducted by a local association of private fossil collectors. Although the quarry operator was cooperative, excavation was complicated by the near-vertical orientation of the layers that limited access, as well as by the ongoing quarrying. The sauropod material could not be excavated directly from the layer but had to be collected from lose blocks that resulting from blasting. The exact origin of the bone material was therefore unclear, but could later be traced to a single bed (bed 83). An excavation conducted between July 20–28 of 2000 rescued ca. 50 t (49 long tons; 55 short tons) of bone-bearing blocks containing vertebrate remains. Fossils were prepared and stored in the Dinosaur Park Münchehagen (DFMMh), a private dinosaur open-air museum located close to Hanover. Due to the very good preservation of the bones, consolidating agents had to be applied only occasionally, and preparation could be conducted comparatively quickly as bone would separate easily from the surrounding rock. Bones of simple shape could sometimes be prepared in less than an hour, while the preparation of a sacrum required a workload of three weeks. By January 2001, 200 single vertebrate bones had already been prepared. At this point, the highest bone density was found in a block measuring 70 x 70 cm, which contained ca. 20 bones. By January 2002, preparation of an even larger block had revealed a partial sauropod skull – the first to be discovered in Europe. Before complete removal of the bones from the block, a silicon cast was made of the block to document the precise three-dimensional position of the individual bones.
Part of the Europasaurus fossil material got damaged or destroyed by arson fire in the night from the 4th to the 5th of October, 2003. The fire destroyed the laboratory and exhibition hall of the Dinosaur Park Münchehagen, resulting in the loss of 106 bones, which account for 15% of the bones prepared at the time. Furthermore, the fire affected most of the still unprepared blocks, with firefighting water hitting the hot stone causing additional crumbling. Destroyed specimens include DFMMh/FV 100, which included the best preserved vertebral series and the only complete pelvis.
In 2006, the new sauropod taxon was formally described as Europasaurus holgeri. The given etymology for the genus name is "reptile from Europe", and the specific name honours Holger Lüdtke, the discoverer of the first fossils. Given the comparatively small size of the bones, it was initially assumed that they stem from juvenile individuals. The 2006 publication, however, established that the majority of specimens were adult, and that Europasaurus was an island dwarf. The number of individual sauropod bones had increased to 650 and include variously articulated individuals; the material was found wi
Europasaurus