18,000-Year-Old Oregon Rock Shelter Is Earliest Known Site of Human Habitation in North America, According to New Discovery
Camel tooth enamel fragments. Image credit: BLM Oregon & Washington
Radiocarbon dating of the tooth enamel revealed that it was about 18,250 years old. This means that humans were living in the rockshelter before the volcanic eruption, and before the end of the last ice age.
Another intriguing find was a pair of orange agate scrapers, which are tools used to process animal hides. One of them had traces of bison blood on it, which is believed to be from Bison antiquus, an extinct ancestor of the present-day species. The scrapers were found deeper in the ground than the camel tooth, suggesting that they are even older.
Radiocarbon dating of the tooth enamel revealed that it was about 18,250 years old. This means that humans were living in the rockshelter before the volcanic eruption, and before the end of the last ice age.
Another intriguing find was a pair of orange agate scrapers, which are tools used to process animal hides. One of them had traces of bison blood on it, which is believed to be from Bison antiquus, an extinct ancestor of the present-day species. The scrapers were found deeper in the ground than the camel tooth, suggesting that they are even older.
Advertisements
13 August 2023
Advertisements
