Geomorphologist Finds 10,000-Year-Old Pacific Mastodon Tooth in California Creek
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 14
Geomorphologist Finds 10,000-Year-Old Pacific Mastodon Tooth in California Creek
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 14
Summary
An intact Pacific mastodon molar believed to be about 10,000 years old was found in a San Mateo County creek bed during a habitat survey for the threatened California red-legged frog.
Brigid Lynch, a geomorphologist with Balance Hydrologics, spotted the fossil while walking the creek; paleontologist Wayne Thompson later confirmed it was an adult mastodon tooth and called it the area's most complete find.
Stanford University's Doerr School of Sustainability will carbon-date and scan the fossil, while Midpen plans to use a 3D-printed replica for education.
The find offers a rare look at Pacific mastodons, a distinct western species that once ranged across California and disappeared roughly 11,700 years ago.