Travel Secrets by V

Come see the largest concentrations of Mammoths in the world at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs South Dakota. As of 2016, sixty-one mammoths were discovered to have lost their lives in the sinkhole. On top of that camels, llamas, wolves, coyotes, prairie dogs, fish skeletons, thousands of mollusk shells, and giant short faced bears also met their end in this sinkhole. Because of this, the Mammoth site is one of the most interesting dig site I have ever seen. So far, over 1200 fossils have been identified here.

Why are there so many mammoths here?

The Mammoth site is actually an old sinkhole that formed when the cavern below it collapsed. In addition, there was a warm artesian well that filled the sink hole and made it look like a pond. Animals were attracted to the warm water and pond vegetation. They would enter the pond to eat, drink and bathe. However the steep sides were covered with slippery Spearfish Shale and the animals would remain trapped in the pond. Eventually they died of starvation, exhaustion, or drowning. As years passed, the spring inside the sinkhole diverted to the Fall river and thus the sinkhole dried up. As the surrounding sediment finally eroded away, the sink hole became a high point on the landscape.

Discovering a sink hole

Back in 1974 George Hanson was leveling ground for a housing development when his blade struck something white and shiny. Turns out it was a tusk about seven feet long. Immediately he contacted four colleges but none of them were interested in his find. Luckily his son Dan had taken archaeology classes and he called his professor. Once the professor arrived, he realized that the bones discovered were not from one but actually somewhere between four and six mammoths. After a complete skull was discovered landowner Phil Anderson donated the land to the Mammoth non-profit organization and it was turned into a museum for all to enjoy.

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