A group of miners in North Dakota discovered a mammoth tusk between 10,000 and 100,000 years old

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Recently, a surprising discovery was made by coal miners at the Freedom Mine near Beulah, North Dakota. While working the night shift, a bulldozer operator caught a glimpse of a white dot as he lifted a huge pile of dirt and dropped it into a dump truck. Later, another bulldozer driver also saw the white flash, prompting them to investigate further. To their amazement, they had unearthed a 7-foot mammoth tusk that had been buried underground for thousands of years.

David Straley, an executive with North American Coal, expressed his gratitude for the remarkable find, stating “We were very fortunate to find what we found.” The tusk was found in an ancient river bed, about 40 feet deep, and marks a significant discovery for the area. After finding the tusk, the miners immediately stopped digging in the area and called experts to assess the situation.

Upon further excavation at the site, more bones were discovered, including a shoulder blade, ribs, a tooth, and parts of hips, making it likely the most complete mammoth found in the state. Jeff Person, a paleontologist at the North Dakota Geological Survey, expressed surprise at the tusk’s relatively intact condition given the heavy machinery used at the site.

The mining company plans to donate the bones to the state for educational purposes, with Straley stating: “Our goal is to give it to the kids.” The tusk and other bones, which are considered fragile, will be stored wrapped in plastic for at least several months while scientists work to safely remove the water. Paleontologists will later determine the species of the mammoth.

Mammoths, larger than modern elephants and covered in dense fur, became extinct about 10,000 years ago in what is now North Dakota. The discovery at the mine is particularly rare for the region, where many remains of animals from the last ice age were destroyed by glaciations and ice sheet movements.

This exciting find has sparked interest in the scientific community and among locals, as experts work to uncover the significance of this ancient discovery.