August 30, 2007
Workers excavating the site of the old St. Vincent de Paul thrift store downtown just made a stunning discovery – an 8-foot-long fossil thought to be the tusk of a Columbian mammoth.
The prehistoric “elephant” tusk, 10 inches in diameter at its thickest end, could be as much as 500,000 years old, said Thomas Demere, curator of paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Columbian mammoths were known to inhabit the county between 100,000 and 500,000 years ago, and fossils of skulls, jawbones, molars and tusks – though none as big as this one – have been found in the San Luis Rey River Valley in Oceanside.
But 27 years of excavations in downtown San Diego have revealed primarily fossils of marine life, Demere said.
“All of a sudden we have this spectacular, startling discovery,” he said. “It's the most exciting paleontological find ever made in downtown San Diego. We now can clearly say that mammoths lived in this area.”
Father Joe Carroll of St. Vincent de Paul Village is excited about the discovery and wants to make sure, once an analysis is completed, that the public will see it.
The tusk was unearthed 30 feet down (13 feet above sea level) during excavation of the nonprofit's land at 16th and Market streets, where a 14-story housing project will be built. Demere immediately encased the tusk in a plaster cast for protection, and it will be hoisted out of the hole tomorrow afternoon for further evaluation at the museum.
Carroll praised the Roel Construction crew for recognizing the enormity of the find and helping with the tusk's recovery.
While the homeless shelter is officially the fossil's owner, Carroll said he wants to work in partnership with the museum to make sure the public has access to it.
“It's amazing to think that a Columbian mammoth walked on the same streets as we're walking on,” he said.
When he learned the mammoth ate about 700 pounds of vegetation a day, Carroll said, “I'm glad it's dead. I couldn't afford to feed it.”
www.signonsandiego.com/news
Workers excavating the site of the old St. Vincent de Paul thrift store downtown just made a stunning discovery – an 8-foot-long fossil thought to be the tusk of a Columbian mammoth.
The prehistoric “elephant” tusk, 10 inches in diameter at its thickest end, could be as much as 500,000 years old, said Thomas Demere, curator of paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Columbian mammoths were known to inhabit the county between 100,000 and 500,000 years ago, and fossils of skulls, jawbones, molars and tusks – though none as big as this one – have been found in the San Luis Rey River Valley in Oceanside.
But 27 years of excavations in downtown San Diego have revealed primarily fossils of marine life, Demere said.
“All of a sudden we have this spectacular, startling discovery,” he said. “It's the most exciting paleontological find ever made in downtown San Diego. We now can clearly say that mammoths lived in this area.”
Father Joe Carroll of St. Vincent de Paul Village is excited about the discovery and wants to make sure, once an analysis is completed, that the public will see it.
The tusk was unearthed 30 feet down (13 feet above sea level) during excavation of the nonprofit's land at 16th and Market streets, where a 14-story housing project will be built. Demere immediately encased the tusk in a plaster cast for protection, and it will be hoisted out of the hole tomorrow afternoon for further evaluation at the museum.
Carroll praised the Roel Construction crew for recognizing the enormity of the find and helping with the tusk's recovery.
While the homeless shelter is officially the fossil's owner, Carroll said he wants to work in partnership with the museum to make sure the public has access to it.
“It's amazing to think that a Columbian mammoth walked on the same streets as we're walking on,” he said.
When he learned the mammoth ate about 700 pounds of vegetation a day, Carroll said, “I'm glad it's dead. I couldn't afford to feed it.”
www.signonsandiego.com/news
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