Humans walked America 40,000 years ago

William Atkins
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 19:27

Science - Biology

Dr. David Huddart further explains the debate on early humans in America when he states, "Most early human occupation sites in the Americas date to the latest Pleistocene or Ice Age, between 10,000 and 12,500 years ago. The existence of 40,000 year old human footprints in Mexico means that the 'Clovis First' model of human occupation can no longer be accepted as the first evidence of human presence in the Americas." [LJMU]

He continues, “New routes of migration that explain the existence of these much earlier sites now need urgent consideration. Our findings support the theory that these first colonists may perhaps have arrived by water rather than on foot using the Pacific coast migration route." [LJMU]

The finding by the Gonzalez team confirms other samples found in the Valsequillo Basin. These samples were unable to determine how long they had been in the region because they were discovered in layers of mixed gravels that were of several different time-periods.

Luckily for Gonzalez, the footprints her team found were not contaminated with materials from other times.

The footprints were thought by the researchers to have been made when these early Americans walked across the shoreline of the volcanic lake. The footprints were covered with volcanic ash and other sediments from the lake.

(The LJMU article stated that the volcanic ash is very hard and, today, is used as concrete, what is called Xalnene ash, for building materials.)

The footprint-and-volcanic-ash mixture then hardened before becoming contaminated with other gravels from other eras, as with the case with the samples from other studies. The footprint-ash mixture eventually submerged in water, which preserved them.

The discovery by Gonzalez and her colleagues was presented at the May 27-30, 2008 joint assembly of the American Geophysical Union in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.

The discovery by the Gongalez team helps to settle the debate on the time-period that early humans first came to the Americas. The debate has been ongoing for over one hundred years.

Currently, the Gongalez team is extending their research of the footprints in order to learn more about them. They expect to conduct further investigations, including calculating such physical characteristics as the height, pace, and stride of these very early immigrants to America.

Further information is found at the MexicanFootprints.co.uk’s website “The Oldest American? Footprints from the Past."