For each campaign of paleontological excavations prior to the beginning of the work a careful survey of the rock walls along the access route to the tunnel was made. Inside the tunnel nine reinforced cement pilasters, linked by beams of the same material, were put into place to support the vault. Five fissure meters were positioned in order to check for small movements in the rock layers of the vault and the tunnel walls. Finally, during the four years three accurate barrings were undertaken in correspondence with the rock wall above the entrance and a check was made on the integrity of the canopy. During the 2009 barring operations the canopy was hit by several large limestone blocks, although its structural integrity was not compromised.

For the excavations in the tunnel the use of a chainsaw of the type used in the marble industry was perfected for cutting the limestone blocks, a technique first used in the 2005 campaign. The excavation inside the tunnel was certainly innovative as the use of this type of equipment for isolating the blocks in the upper part greatly shortened and simplified operations which previously would have taken many days of hard work.

Following opportune checks on the stratigraphic description of the excavation front, undertaken at the beginning of each campaign, work began on the removal of stone blocks. During this process icthyological and paleontological data was collected to be used for a reconstruction of the paleo-environment. The preliminary results provided a large amount of important new paleo-environmental and tafonomic information. As regards the opening of the fossil-bearing layers, once identified they were only partially opened on site using hammers and small chisels. In fact, most of the various “blocks” of laminated rock, having been numbered and orientated were put to one side to await the natural loosening of the single laminae. This is an excavation technique that has been used for centuries and is peculiar to the tradition of the Cerato Family and foresees excavation by hand, followed by the so-called “seasoning” of the layers.

The excavations mainly concentrated on a horizon of layers between no. 1 and no. 11. Many hundreds of plant and faunal finds came to light which are listed in brief: Fish, Alghe, Crustaceans, Land plants, Amber, Insects, Coprolites. During the four years of excavations five fish that are new to science were found (new genera and species).