April 30, 2012

SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Scientist joins local schools to excavate Craig mammoth remains"

Joe Moylan:
" — Dr. Jan J. Roth, of the Sundance Research Institute, said he’s about to embark on a project that has renewed his passion for archaeology and paleontology: the discovery of what he thinks are the remains of a Columbian mammoth inside Craig city limits.

He announced the discovery during a Craig City Council meeting earlier this month.

“I haven’t been this excited for a long, long time,” Roth told council members. “It’s a very unique opportunity for the city of Craig to have a mammoth site.”

The Columbian mammoth, a slightly larger cousin of the woolly mammoth, roamed from Alaska to South America beginning 1 million years ago, Roth said.

The animals stand more than 14 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 8 to 10 tons, and it’s thought they became extinct about 12,500 years ago.

Roth, 70, first became aware of the discovery in 2009, when friend Bruce Timberg was making improvements to one of his properties in the Old Craig View subdivision near 12th and Pine streets.

“He was digging up the lot where he wanted to install a raised water line and came across some rocks he thought looked unique,” Roth said. “He called me to take a look, and I could tell that what he found were the remains of mammoth tusks.”

During the initial discovery, Roth said several remains were recovered from the site including a lower jawbone, complete with teeth, and numerous tusk pieces...."  (Read more?  Click title)

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