At a rockshelter in Oregon , archeologist have unearthed an fauna tooth that ’s been dated to be over 18,000 years erstwhile . If their rendition of the artifact and other keepsake at the site is on dot , this could suggest the shallow cave is one of the oldest sites of human occupancy in North America .
The Rimrock Draw Rockshelter , found just outside the small town of Riley , has been carefully dug up by archeologist contribute by the University of Oregon since 2011 . Over the yr , pit pecker and tooth fragment from extinct mammalian from the Pleistocene era have been excavate .
In 2012 , the squad identified camel teeth fragments under a layer of volcanic ash from an eruption ofMount St Helensthat was dated over 15,000 age ago . They also found two finely craft scrapers made from orange agate , one covered in preserve bison blood residual and another swallow up in volcanic ash .
Part of the camel tooth recently dated to over 18,000 years old.Image credit: Stafford Research
Now , radiocarbon dating of the camel tooth enamel has revealed a more precise engagement : 18,250 year before present .
“ The recognition of 15,000 - eld - old volcanic ash was a shock absorber , then [ the ] 18,000 - years old dates on the tooth enamel , with stone tools and flakes below , were even more startling , ” Patrick O’Grady , an archaeologist from the University of Oregon ’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History Archaeological Field School , enjoin in astatement .
“ This is a very exciting development for the archeologic community , ” add Heather Ulrich from the Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington Archaeology .
The question is whether the brute tooth shard from 18,000 old age ago can categorically prove human line of work at the internet site . The comportment of crafted gemstone dick suggests so , but the interpretation might not necessarily convince everyone .
The subject of humans ’ first forays into North America is one of the most hotly debate subjects in archeology . Until recently , the ordinarily held view was that the earliest inhabitants in the Americas were a single group bed as the"Clovis culture"that settled in the continent around 15,000 - 13,000 days ago .
That appointment has been continuallypushed backby a identification number ofarchaeological findsin the past few decades , but a consensus is yet to be strive . In 2020 , archaeologistscarried out a digat Chiquihuite Cave in central Mexico , which contains an array of some 2,000 rock tools , plant remains , and environmental DNA . Dating of the site suggests the cave was inhabit by humans seasonally 25,000 - 33,000 geezerhood ago , although other archaeologists argue there would “ doubtless be challenges to this interpretation . ”
The researchers from the late Rimrock Draw Rockshelter excavation hope to carry out further analytic thinking of their finds to win sturdier evidence . This will include further testing of other camel and bison teeth fragments , as well as studying flora remains found at the land site of a fire .
The team also made the point that passers - by and campers shouldkeep their hand offany likely archaeological discoveries they hit across as it might scupper their hard body of work .
“ These discoveries highlight the importance of unspoilt stewardship of our public land . Damage , devastation , or remotion at an archeologic site is a Union crime . Leave what you get and do not pull in artifacts or otherwise harm archeological sites on public lands , ” the Bureau of Land Management Oregon said in the announcement .
