The oldest known human footprints in North America have recently been discovered at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, according to a press release from the U.S Geological Survey.
The discovery shows that people first inhabited the Tularosa Basin at least 23,000 years ago, thousands of years earlier than previously believed, and that humans have been present on the North American continent for the last two millennia, according to an article published in Science.
“These incredible discoveries illustrate that White Sands National Park is not only a world-class destination for recreation but is also a wonderful scientific laboratory that has yielded groundbreaking fundamental research,” Superintendent Marie Sauter stated in the press release.
The study, which significantly expands the area of cohabitation between humans and Ice Age megafauna, also shows that humans were present in North America prior to the last ice age's major glacial advances that closed migratory routes from Asia.
"This study demonstrates the process of science - new evidence can shift long-held paradigms," USGS Acting Rocky Mountain Regional Director Allison Shipp stated in the press release.
The footprints were discovered on exposed outcrops of Lake Otero in the western playa's gypsum soil, along with ancient grass seeds buried underneath the footprint according to an article from the New Mexico National Park Service.
White Sands National Park is home to the world's largest gypsum dune field, 23,000 years of archaeology sites and historic pueblo structures.
Additionally, the park also maintains the world's largest known collection of fossilized footprints from the Ice Age and has been recognized as a mega-track site since 2014.
The study included scientists from White Sands National Park, the U.S. National Park Service, USGS, Bournemouth University, University of Arizona, and Cornell University, as well as Native American partners.
