Transportation News, Volume 43, Number 3, May/June 2018 Page: 5
32 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A TEXAS-SIZED DISCOVERY
NEAR LUBBOCKou will never believe what TxDOT archeology crews
found last spring during environmental studies of
the Loop 88 project near Lubbock.
Archeologists were investigating the right of way for
any archeological evidence such as stone tool artifacts
or ancient fire pits - something most federal projects
routinely go through before construction. During their
investigation, they came across a Texas-sized discovery:
mammoth bones!
The thickness of the bones indicated that they came from
a species of very large, extinct animals that are collectively
known as megafauna, which lived in Texas during the
Pleistocene, or ice age. Archeologists tentatively identified
the bones as mammoth since they have been documented
in the southern high plains of Texas before. (The region is
dotted with small pools of water that have been there for
tens of thousands of years, making the area an ideal setting
for animals and humans.)What's next for the mammoth?
TxDOT's archeologists have not yet found any trace
of humans at the site. State and federal laws that guide
TxDOT's work only apply to human archeology, rather than
animal paleontology. In addition, radiocarbon dates from
the lab were inconclusive, so it is not clear if the mammoth
discovery is from the end of the ice age when humans were
present in Texas.
Even though TxDOT archeologists could not date the
animal, they are not entirely dismissing the possibility that
other parts of the project area will uncover archeological
artifacts. Therefore, more investigation needs to be done
to find out if the mammoth had some human neighbors or
hunters. If so, it would be a significant discovery for TxDOT
and for Texas history.
Right now, the bones are still located on private property,
so TxDOT will purchase the parcels of land before further
excavation. The project is several years from construction,
so archeologists have plenty of time to dig deeper into the
fossil find.
To receive updates, subscribe to TxDOT's archeology
program at www.txdot.gov, keyword "archeology." q
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Texas. Department of Transportation. Transportation News, Volume 43, Number 3, May/June 2018, periodical, May 2018; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1115387/m1/5/: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.