By Crystal Huggins, Plainview Daily Herald, Texas The Tribune Content Agency
May 16-Few people expect digging for a road to lead to uncovering Ice Age megafauna. Before skyscrapers, cars or highways, Texas was a land of giants. A highway project in Lubbock uncovered colossal creatures from the past May 13, offering a glimpse into an ancient world.
"During the environmental review for Loop 88, TxDOT contracted an archeological survey," stated Chris Ringstaff, project planner with TxDOT's environmental affairs division. "They found the bones of some large, prehistoric animals called megafauna, which is not unusual in the region."
The Panhandle region boasts numerous playas, ancient remnants of Ice Age lakes. Historically, playas served as vital water sources for both wildlife and humans. These unique sites not only hold ecological significance but can also provide archaeological evidence of early human activity in the area, TxDOT reports.
"If the site involves humans, we have to address road construction impacts under state and federal law," Ringstaff said. "If the site has no artifacts and dates to a time well before humans, TxDOT will recommend no further work, and the project can proceed to construction."
Because other sites in Texas have shown human activity with megafauna, TxDOT crews decided to proceed with a process called staged mitigation involving archeological excavation to look for human artifacts including chipped stone or spear points at the Loop 88 location.
"Excavation is one of many steps TxDOT can take prior to road construction to ensure that Texas history is preserved," said Cultural Resources Section Director Rebekah Dobrasko.
Consulting archeologists and TxDOT staff excavated bones, taking geologic and sediment samples for screening earlier this year. TxDOT is working with the Museum of Texas Tech University to help prepare, identify and house the bones.
"We know we've found giant ground sloth by its distinctive tooth," Ringstaff said. "Whether all the bones are giant ground sloth or there are different animals such as mammoth or mastodon, we're not sure. Paleontologists will give us positive identification."
Professionals are inspecting the dirt collected around the bones, in search of micro-artifacts, using geologic dating procedures to get a better understanding of the timeline of the objects.
Even if more excavation is required, the work is well ahead of schedule for project construction, according to TxDOT. "We're here to get the road built," Ringstaff said. "But who doesn't love digging up big ol' animals?"