The oldest human footprint in the Americas could be this mark of 15,600 years in Chile

The oldest human footprint ever recorded in the Americas was not found in Canada, the United States or even Mexico; it was found much further south in Chile, and it goes back to an astonishing 15,600 years ago, reveals a new study.

The discovery highlights the first time humans reached the Americas, probably crossing the Bering Strait land bridge in the middle of the last ice age.

This 10.2-inch long copy could even be evidence of the presence of pre-Clovis people in South America, the group that preceded the Clovis, who are known for their distinctive spearheads, have said the researchers. The discovery suggests that pre-Clovis people were in northern Patagonia (South America region) for some time, the footprint being older than the archaeological remains of Monte Verde, Chile, a site approximately 100 km to the south and containing artifacts at least 14,500 years old. [10 Things We Learned About the First Americans in 2018]

The Vertebrate Paleontologist Leonora Salvadores discovered the imprint in December 2010 while she was an undergraduate student at the Southern University of Chile. At that time, Salvadores and his fellow students were investigating a renowned archaeological site, Pilauco, located about 820 km south of Santiago de Chile.

However, it took years for Karen Moreno, principal investigator and paleontologist, and Mario Pino, principal investigator and geologist, both from the Southern University of Chile, to verify that the footprint was human and radiologically dated (they tested six different organic remains found at this layer to be sure) and determine how it was made by a barefoot adult.

Part of these tests consisted of walking in similar sediments to see what types of tracks had been left behind. These experiments revealed that the old human probably weighed about 155 pounds. (70 kilograms) and that the soil was very wet and sticky at the time of printing. It seems like a piece of this sticky dirt has clung to the person's toes and then dropped into the impression when the foot was lifted, as suggested in the picture below.

The imprint is classified as a type called Hominipes modernus, an imprint usually made by Homo sapiens, the researchers said. (Species, traces of fossils, such as footprints, receive scientific names.) Previous excavations on the site revealed other Upper Pleistocene fossils, including elephant parent bones. , relatives of llamas and ancient horses, as well as rocks that humans could have used. as tools, the researchers said.

The study "adds to an increasing number of archaeological and fossil evidence suggesting that humans have dispersed across America earlier than many previously thought," said Kevin Hatala, an assistant professor of biology at Chatham University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. with the study.

The discovery comes one year after the discovery of the oldest known human footprint in North America 13,000 years ago, Hatala noted.

It would be nice to have more data on the Chile website – "more footprints, more artifacts, more skeletal material, etc.," Hatala told Live Science in an email. "But unfortunately, archaeological and fossil records are never as generous as we would like! With a single human footprint, the authors have extracted as much information as possible. When we look at this evidence in the context other data, it argues in favor of the antiquity of [the] human presence in Patagonia "

The imprint is now kept in a glass box and is housed in the recently established Pleistocene Museum, located in Osorno, Chile. The study was published online April 24 in the journal PLOS One.

Originally published on Science live.