Evidence for Humans at White Sands National Park during the Last Glacial Maximum Could Actually be for Clovis People ∼13,000 Years Ago

ABSTRACT

In this brief essay, the author critiques the dating and site-formation processes related to the ancient footprints recently reported by M. R. Bennett et al. (2021) in Science (373:1528–1531), and offers an alternative working hypothesis that the features could relate to Clovis, not pre-Clovis humans.

KEYWORDS:

• Ancient footprints
• Pre-Clovis archaeology
• White Sands National Park
• Clovis
• stratigraphy

This article responds to:

Reply to “Evidence for Humans at White Sands National Park during the Last Glacial Maximum Could Actually be for Clovis People ∼13,000 Years Ago” by C. Vance Haynes, Jr.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C. Vance Haynes

C. Vance Haynes Jr. is emeritus regents professor at the University of Arizona and has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1990. He is best known for his interdisciplinary investigation of the Paleoindian archaeology of San Pedro Valley, Arizona, and a series of geoarchaeological studies of Paleoindian and Paleolithic sites in North America and northern Africa.