Walking in mud: Remarkable Pleistocene human trackways from White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

Madsen et al . question the reliability of calibrated radiocarbon ages associated with human footprints discovered recently in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA. On the basis of the geologic, hydrologic, stratigraphic, and chronologic evidence, we maintain that the ages are robust and conclude that the footprints date to between ~23,000 and 21,000 years ago. Madsen et al . ( 1 ) question the veracity of calibrated radiocarbon ages used to constrain the antiquity of human trackways discovered recently at White Sands National Park (WHSA) Locality 2, New Mexico, USA ( 2 ). The ages were derived from seeds of the aquatic plant Ruppia cirrhosa , which they suggest may suffer from hard-water (or reservoir) effects, making them too old, potentially by thousands of years. We were well aware of this possibility, investigated it, and presented several lines of evidence that argued against such a problem. Here we respond to each of their four primary points.

Download Full-text

Detecting footprints with GPR

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-21096 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

thomas urban

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

Ground Penetrating Radar ◽

National Park ◽

Field Research ◽

Human Eye ◽

Ground Penetrating ◽

White Sands ◽

Ground Sloths

<p>Recent field research at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA, has used ground-penetrating radar to detect the footprints of Pleistocene humans, mammoths, and ground sloths. The technique has been succesful with a range of antenna frequencies and for detecting footprints of many different sizes. Perhaps more importantly, the method has been shown to successfully detect fooprints that are not visible to the human eye, often with sufficent detail to differntiate species. This work raises an obvious question about whether GPR could be used to detect footprints in a range of other contexts, or whether the circumstances seen at White Sands are unique.&#160;</p>

Download Full-text

The Lepidoptera of White Sands National Monument 5: Two new species of Cochylini (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae, Tortricinae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3444.1.3 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3444 (1) ◽

pp. 51 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

ERIC H. METZLER ◽

GREGORY S. FORBES

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

New Mexico ◽

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

National Monument ◽

Two New Species ◽

Park Service ◽

White Sands National Monument ◽

White Sands ◽

The U.S

In 2006, 10-year studies of the moths in two park units of the U.S. National Park Service in southern New Mexico were initiated: White Sands National Monument in Otero County, New Mexico, USA; and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in Eddy County, New Mexico, USA. Two new species of Cochylini, Eugnosta brownana Metzler & Forbes and Cochylis yinyangana Metzler, are described. Adults and male and female genitalia of both species are illustrated.

Download Full-text