Rare Ice Age Discovery in California Creek

A scientist surveying a California creek has made a rare discovery: a well-preserved tooth from an ancient Pacific mastodon. The tooth, found in a Midpen preserve creek, is estimated to be between 50,000 and 100,000 years old. The mastodon, a massive herbivore that went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age, likely died in the creek, and its skull and bones may still be buried at the site. Researchers from Stanford University plan to carbon date the molar and create a 3-D scan of the tooth to learn more about the ancient creature. The discovery was made by Brigid Lynch, a geomorphologist, while she was surveying the area to improve the habitat of the threatened California red-legged frog. The creek where the tooth was found is lined with alder trees, which were a preferred food source for the mastodons.