Michigan Man Accidentally Digs Up Rare Woolly Mammoth Bones
Michigan Man Accidentally Digs Up Rare Woolly Mammoth Bones
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University of Michigan professor Dan Fisher and a team of Michigan students work to excavate a woolly mammoth found on a farm in Lima Township, Oct. 1, 2015.Melanie Maxwell—MLIVE.COM /Landov
James Bristle was digging up a soy field near Chelsea, Mich., when an unusual bone caught his attention. At first he thought it was a mere fence post, but closer examination confirmed it was no ordinary find. “We knew it was something that was out of the norm,” Bristle told Michigan Live. “My grandson came over to look at it, he’s 5 years old, he was speechless.”
Dan Fisher, a University of Michigan professor who studies the extinctions of mastodons and mammoths, drove out to the site and confirmed the discovery on Thursday. He said the creature was about 40 years old and was probably killed by humans, who then stashed the remains in a pond as a means of meat storage 10,100 to 15,000 years ago.
The discovery is a major one. Fisher said there are only 10 sites in Michigan where such significant remains of a mammoth skeleton have been uncovered.
See Mysterious Photos of Water on the Surface of Mars
Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are a type of dark streak seen on Martian slopes and are thought to form from flow of liquid water. This image shows RSL in the Aram Chaos, acquired on Jan. 11, 2015.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This image shows the central peak in Porter Crater, acquired on April 17, 2015.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona RSL may be due to active seeps of water. These dark flows are abundant along the steep slopes of ancient bedrock in Coprates Chasma. Acquired on Dec. 31, 2013.
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Ravines (or very large gullies) are actively forming on Mars during the coldest times of year, when carbon dioxide frost aids mass wasting. In this image, acquired on March 25, 2015, we see warm-season flows in cold-season ravines.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona An image of the southeast rim of Hale crater, acquired on Nov. 13, 2014NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This RSL is one of the most active sites known on Mars in the central peaks of Hale Crater, acquired on Feb. 20, 2015. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona A RSL in Raga Crate, acquired on Feb. 9, 2015.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona A surprise landslump in Melas Chasma, acquired on Jan. 15, 2014.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona An image of the southeast rim of Hale crater, acquired on Nov. 13, 2014.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This image was acquired in southern winter over part of Asimov Crater, on March 15, 2014, showing the equator-facing slope of a deep trough inside the crater. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona RSL along Coprates Chasma Ridge, acquired on July 7, 2013.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Seasonal flows on Palikir Crater, a warm Martian slopes, that may be caused by the flow of salty water on Mars. Acquired on March 15, 2013NASA/JPL/University of Arizona RSL in Juventae Chasma, acquired on Jan. 18, 2013.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This image displays a site along a Coprates Chasma ridge shows RSL on generally north-facing slopes, acquired on Oct. 20, 2012.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Right past the sharp, but warped rim of this ancient impact crater are deposits of winter frost, which show up as blue in enhanced color. Acquired on July 16, 2012.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Slope features seen on a wall in Newton crater acquired on May 30, 2011.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
