“Rewriting our understanding.” That’s what scientists said about a discovery right here in San Diego. This is about the Cerutti Mastodon Site. It dramatically revises when humans first reached North America.
The Cerutti Mastodon Site is an Ice Age paleontological turned archaeological site. It preserves 130000-year-old bones. These are bones and teeth of a mastodon. They show evidence of modification by early humans. Analysis of these finds has shaken up the timeline. It shows when humans first arrived in North America.
These fossil remains were discovered by Museum paleontologists. This was during routine work. The work was at a freeway expansion project site. The California Department of Transportation managed it. The bones tusks and molars were found deeply buried. Many were sharply broken. Large stones were also found. These stones appeared to have been used as hammers and anvils. This makes it the oldest well-documented archaeological site in the Americas. It is in situ meaning it is in its original place.
Before this the oldest records of human sites in North America were about 15000 years old. The Cerutti Mastodon Site fossils were found in sediments. These sediments had been deposited much earlier. This was during a period long before humans were thought to have arrived.
Dr. Tom Deméré is the curator of paleontology. He is also director of PaleoServices at the San Diego Natural History Museum. He said there was strong physical evidence. It placed humans alongside extinct Ice Age megafauna. Dating technology has helped confirm this. Early humans were here much earlier than accepted.
Dr. James Paces is a research geologist. He used radiometric dating methods. These methods determined the mastodon bones were 130000 years old. The bones were still fresh when broken. They were broken by blows from hammerstones.
Dr. Steve Holen is the director of research. He is at the Center for American Paleolithic Research. He said the bones and teeth show signs of being deliberately broken. Humans used dexterity and knowledge. This breakage pattern has been seen at mammoth fossil sites. Alternative explanations have been ruled out there.
The discovery poses more questions than answers. Who were these people? Were they part of a failed colonization attempt? Or is there a long but unrecognized presence of humans in this hemisphere?
You can view specimens recovered from the Cerutti Mastodon Site. Visit Level 2 of the San Diego Natural History Museum. See mastodon bones molars and a tusk. Also see rocks used as hammers and anvils.
The Cerutti Mastodon Discovery shows us San Diego’s deep history. It makes us reconsider what we thought we knew. The discovery shows that humans were here much earlier than we thought. Take a moment to think about the people who lived here so long ago. What were their lives like? How did they survive? The Cerutti Mastodon Site is an amazing reminder. It shows us that there is still so much to learn about our past.