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Divers Recover Intact Mammoth Tusk From Salzgitter Lake for Museum Conservation

Experts provisionally date the 80-centimeter tusk to the last Ice Age with plans for a one- to two-year treatment before display.

Overview

  • The sport divers Jürgen Wiegleb and Jürgen Woelke found the nearly 80-centimeter woolly mammoth tusk in Salzgittersee in mid-July.
  • They promptly handed the fully preserved specimen to the Städtisches Museum Schloss Salder in Salzgitter.
  • The city called the discovery a small sensation given the tusk’s exceptional condition.
  • The museum is storing the tusk in a water bath to prevent drying while conservation proceeds over an estimated one to two years.
  • Initial assessments suggest the tusk comes from a juvenile animal and dates somewhere between 10,000 and 110,000 years.