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Two new lines of evidence support the 21,000 to 23,000-year age estimate of the footprints first described and dated in 2021.
“Pollen samples also helped us understand the broader environmental context at the time the footprints were made,” said David Wahl, USGS research geographer and a co-author on the currentarticle. “The pollen in the samples came from plants typically found in cold and wet glacial conditions, in stark contrast with pollen from the modern playa which reflects the desert vegetation found there today.
With three separate lines of evidence pointing to the same approximate age, it is highly unlikely that they are all incorrect or biased and, taken together, provide strong support for the 21,000 to 23,000-year age range for the footprints. Reference: “Independent age estimates resolve the controversy of ancient human footprints at White Sands” by Jeffrey S. Pigati, Kathleen B. Springer, Jeffrey S. Honke, David Wahl, Marie R. Champagne, Susan R. H. Zimmerman, Harrison J. Gray, Vincent L. Santucci, Daniel Odess, David Bustos and Matthew R. Bennett, 5 October 2023,The research team included scientists from the USGS, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the National Park Service, and academic institutions.