Oldest evidence of human presence in America found in new research

A US Geological Survey team led by Jeff Pigati and Kathleen Springer analyzed the seed layers surrounding human footprints at Lake Otero in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, and found that they coincided with a major warming event that caused water levels to drop, exposing soil on which humans and prehistoric animals walked.

“This is an important site because all the leads we found there show an interaction between humans in the landscape and extinct animals, such as mammoths and giant sloths,” said Sally Reynolds of the University of Bournemouth, co-author of the study.

“We can see the coexistence between humans and animals at the site as a whole, and by being able to accurately date these footprints we build a better picture of the landscape,” she added.

Dunes at White Sands National Monument, (credit: ITSIK MAROM)

Human footprints are the oldest evidence of human presence in the Americas, according to the University of Arizona. Previously, the only reliable evidence available suggested that humans arrived in the region no more than 13,000 to 16,000 years ago. Based on the size of the footprints, the researchers found that most of them were left by teenagers and children, although a few were from adults.

“We can think of our ancestors as quite functional, hunting and surviving, but what we see here is also a play activity, and of different ages coming together. A real glimpse into these early peoples,” said Matthew Bennett of the ‘University of Bournemouth, another co-author of the study.