Earlier this year, a group of coal miners made a “huge” discovery while working in North Dakota.
While working overnight at the Freedom Mine over Memorial Day weekend, miners discovered the remains of an ancient mammoth that went extinct in the area about 10,000 years ago.
Recognizing the significance of the early morning discovery in a mine north of Beulah, miners cordoned off certain areas and conducted research by the North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS) and the North Dakota Historical Society. , and the North Dakota Historical Society. Bureau of Land Management.
A team led by NDGS paleontologists spent 12 days excavating a river bed where fossils have been preserved for thousands of years, according to an NDGS press release this month.
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According to NDGS, a team led by NDGS paleontologists spent 12 days excavating the river bed where the ruins had been preserved for thousands of years. (North Dakota Geological Survey)
More than 20 bones were recovered from the skeleton, including ribs, shoulder blades, teeth and part of the hip. But perhaps the most surprising find was a seven-foot-long mammoth tusk that had been preserved since the Ice Age.
NDGS senior paleontologist Clint Boyd told Fox News Digital that the tusk was scooped up by miners who were removing heavy rock from the area and placed in the back of a dump truck.
“So when they unloaded the dump truck, the last thing that came out of the bed of the dump truck that landed on top of the mountain was a complete mammoth tusk that was 7 feet long,” Boyd said. .
To preserve the fossils, Boyd said the team placed the bones in plastic bags to keep them moist.
“We're wrapping all our materials in plastic now because this Ice Age stuff is what we call subfossils. It's not fully fossilized, and there's still a lot of stuff in it. of organic matter remains,” Boyd explained. “When you first discover a deposit, it's very wet. If it dries too quickly, it will crack and break apart and be destroyed by itself.”
Boyd said the team needed to soak the bones in a “special compound” to preserve them. ”Remove the water from the specimen and replace it with slow-drying alcohol. ”
Perhaps the most surprising find from the fossil was a well-preserved 7-foot-long mammoth tusk. (North Dakota Geological Survey)
The soaking process, which keeps the bones from becoming brittle and crumbling, can take several months, Boyd said. “Once that’s done, it will stabilize nicely,” he said.
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Boyd said the mammoth fossil is believed to be the “most complete fossil” ever found in North Dakota and is “the first fossil to come out of a coal mine.” .
“Sometimes we dig them out of gravel pits, but usually it's something like one or two bones or an isolated tooth. For some reason, we've never had a truly complete specimen of a mammoth from North Dakota.” “I had never had one before. This was an exciting discovery,” he added.
NDGS is also working with Freedom Mine to find a place for the pair to display their remains for others to see.
“We're looking for potential locations to display specimens,” Boyd said. “We're talking to mines and looking to see if there's a location nearby. Probably in the town of Beulah, which is the closest town, or something like that. If not. [we’re] It's only a little more than an hour away from the mine, so we're looking into where it can be displayed at the State Museum here in Bismarck. ”
“We want to display the fossil as close to the area it was found as possible so local people can see it and understand what it was and what else they can find there. ” he added. .
Mammoths roamed the area now known as North Dakota during the Pleistocene, commonly known as the Ice Age. According to the NDGS, they became extinct in this region about 10,000 years ago. (Getty Images)
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Mammoths roamed the area now known as North Dakota during the Pleistocene, commonly known as the Ice Age. According to the NDGS, they became extinct in this region about 10,000 years ago.
North America was home to a variety of mammoth species, including woolly mammoths and Columbian mammoths, which lived among saber-toothed cats and giant sloths. Once the bone cleaning process is complete, paleontologists can determine which species the fossil belonged to.
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Boyd said he hopes the unusual find will encourage others to report their findings and focus on more fossils in the future.
“This is an opportunity for everyone to keep an eye out and let us know if you find anything else,” he said of the discovery.
