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yesterday

Exceptionally Complete Pacific Mastodon Molar Found in San Mateo County Preserve

Stanford plans carbon dating with a 3D scan to turn the unusually complete tooth into research data and printed replicas for public outreach.

A mastodon’s tooth was recently found in a creek in San Mateo County, Calif.
The mastodon molar was donated to Stanford University in California.
Image
An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Giant molar of a Pacific Mastodon discovered in the Bay Area, partially submerged in water, Image 2 shows Two hands hold a large, well-preserved brown and black molar from an adult Pacific Mastodon, Image 3 shows Illustration of a Pacific Mastodon and its skull with a labeled upper left molar

Overview

  • The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District announced Sept. 9 that a geomorphologist working on a habitat survey found an intact adult Pacific mastodon molar in a San Mateo County creek bed.
  • Paleontologists called the tooth unusually complete and well preserved, with Midpen reporting dimensions of about 8.5 inches by 7 inches by 3 inches.
  • Midpen donated the specimen to Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability, where researchers will perform carbon dating to refine its age, now estimated at roughly 10,000 years.
  • Scientists will create a high-resolution 3D scan and printed replicas so the original can be curated for research while copies support education and public displays.
  • Midpen is withholding the fossil’s exact location to prevent site disturbance, and officials say the find links routine conservation work for species such as the California red-legged frog to new insights about Pleistocene ecosystems.