There’s more than meets the surface of Madeline Seabaugh, a junior who excavates fossils in her backyard.

Seabaugh has been collecting fossils with her dad and her brother ever since the age of five, after discovering fossils in her backyard creek.

“I collect fossils. We have a creek in our backyard, so it’s everything from huge rocks that we crack them apart. There are layers of fossils and little pieces that we’ll find,” Seabaugh said.

After being taught by her dad, Seabaugh started excavating fossils and created a collection that now ranges from tiny fossils to large rocks.

“It is kind of hard to keep the collection because it’s a lot of rocks. We keep them outside next to our deck. It is about 3 feet by 2 feet and we just fill it with rocks” Seabaugh said.

Despite the size of her collection, Seabaugh can still easily identify her favorite fossil.

“My biggest, favorite one looks like an octopus. It’s about 2 and a half inches across and it’s just really cool,” Seabaugh said.

As for the future, Seabaugh plans on continuing her collection in her free time and remains intrigued by the historical background of her fossils.

“The history is cool because you know they’re really old. We always try to guess what they are and where they came from. It’s fun” Seabaugh said.

Luckily, fossil finding can remain a hobby. Just like Seabaugh, there is still more underneath the surface.