These ancient footprints in New Mexico’s white sand dunes rewrote North American history

White Sands, New Mexico

David Bustos found strange marks in the white sands of New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin in 2009. As a park manager at White Sands, he knew these weren’t typical animal tracks. These marks were human footprints preserved in the dried bed of ancient Lake Otero.

The lake dried up about 10,000 years ago, leaving these prints behind. Park staff called them “ghost tracks” because they only appeared when the sand had just the right amount of moisture. At other times, they remained hidden from view.

Wind Reveals Undeniable Human Prints

A strong wind in September 2019 uncovered clear human footprints at a site Bustos had checked many times before. This spot had shown ancient plant remains but no human tracks until then.

The wind blew away the top sand layer, showing prints that led to a small mound. When researchers carefully removed more sand, they found more prints underneath. This discovery led Bustos to gather experts in archaeology, geology, and dating methods to study the site together.

Meticulous Excavation Uncovers Multiple Layers

The team dug up an area about half the size of a basketball court. They worked carefully to avoid damaging the delicate footprints. They found eight separate layers of footprints. Each layer showed a different time when people walked across this same spot.

The team counted 61 distinct human tracks made by about 16 different people. They had to work quickly because once exposed, the prints started to deteriorate in the air and sun.

Seeds Tell Time Through Carbon

Researchers found seeds from a water plant called spiral ditchgrass in the same dirt layers as the footprints. These seeds were perfect for radiocarbon dating, which measures how much carbon-14 has decayed to determine age.

Scientists took these seeds directly from inside and around the footprints. This ensured the plant material was from the same time as the tracks. The lab results shocked everyone – these footprints were between 21,000 and 23,000 years old, far earlier than experts thought humans lived in North America.

Science Journal Publication Rocks Archaeology World

Matthew Bennett led the team that published these findings in Science journal in September 2021. Their paper showed humans lived in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum, when huge ice sheets covered the northern continent.

This challenged the common belief that humans first arrived around 13,000 years ago after the ice sheets melted. Instead, people lived here at least 7,000 years earlier than previously thought.

The discovery forced scientists to rethink how and when humans first came to the Americas.

Scientists Debate Seed Dating Method

Many experts questioned the dating methods used in the study. They worried about the “hard-water effect” when using aquatic plant seeds. This happens when water plants absorb old carbon from the water instead of fresh carbon from the air.

This can make radiocarbon dates seem older than they really are. Some archaeologists suggested the footprints might only be 13,500-15,500 years old, matching other early American sites.

The debate showed how hard it is to date ancient human activity accurately.

New Methods Test Original Claims

In 2023, researchers went back to White Sands with new dating techniques. They collected pollen from pine trees found in the same dirt layers as the footprints. Unlike water plants, trees take carbon straight from the air, avoiding the hard-water problem.

The team also used a method called optically stimulated luminescence that measures when quartz sand was last exposed to sunlight. These different approaches provided independent ways to check the original dates without relying on the questioned seed method.

Multiple Tests Confirm Ancient Age

The new dating methods backed up the original timeline. Pollen samples dated to between 22,600 and 23,400 years ago, matching the seed dates. The quartz crystal testing showed an age of about 21,500 years old.

Different labs using separate methods all pointed to the same time period. This strong agreement proved that humans walked along the shores of ancient Lake Otero more than 21,000 years ago, far earlier than most experts had believed possible.

Children Played Where Mammoths Walked

Most of the footprints came from teenagers and children, with few adult tracks found. Researchers think adults did specialized work elsewhere while younger group members handled simpler tasks near the lake.

One set of tracks shows what looks like a woman carrying a toddler. Her footprints get wider and show slipping when carrying the child. Then they return to normal when the child walked beside her.

These prints give us a rare glimpse into the daily lives of ancient Americans.

Human Hunters Stalked Ice Age Giants

Human footprints mix with tracks from extinct ice age animals like mammoths, giant sloths, dire wolves, and American lions. One trackway shows humans following a giant ground sloth.

The sloth tracks show it stood on its back legs and turned around, probably sensing danger from hunters. We don’t know if the hunt succeeded. These preserved moments show direct contact between early humans and ice age animals.

People lived alongside these creatures for thousands of years before they went extinct.

Rewriting Human Arrival in the Americas

The White Sands footprints challenge the old “Clovis First” theory that humans arrived in the Americas just 13,000 years ago. The traditional view was that people walked from Siberia to Alaska on a land bridge, then moved south as ice sheets melted.

People living in New Mexico 23,000 years ago means humans arrived during or before the Last Glacial Maximum when ice supposedly blocked migration routes. Scientists now think early people might have traveled along the coast in boats or arrived before the ice fully formed.

Visiting White Sands National Park

White Sands National Park is in southern New Mexico, about 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo. The entrance fee is $25 per vehicle, valid for 7 days. You can also get an annual pass for $45.

The park opens daily at 7:00 AM, but closing times change with the seasons. Popular activities include sledding down the dunes on plastic discs (available at the gift shop), hiking the marked trails, and taking photos of the brilliant white landscape.

The Visitor Center has exhibits about the area’s natural history, a gift shop, and restrooms. Picnic areas with tables and shelters are scattered throughout the park. Camping is not allowed except on backcountry sites with a permit.

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