Ancient Footprints Confirm Humans Reached the Americas Over 20,000 Years Ago

Ancient footprints prove humans reached America 10,000 years earlier than we thought.

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Ancient Footprints Confirm Humans Reached The Americas Over 20,000 Years Ago
Credit: Cornell University | Indian Defence Review

A study published in Science Advances confirms that humans were present in North America between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago—more than 10,000 years earlier than previously believed. The evidence comes from footprints preserved in the gypsum-rich ground of White Sands National Park in New Mexico, now verified through multiple dating techniques.

A Decades-Old Theory Overturned by Footprints

The discovery challenges the long-accepted theory that humans arrived in the Americas only after the last Ice Age, around 13,000 years ago. These newly confirmed footprints suggest that people were already present during the Last Glacial Maximum, a period long thought too harsh for human migration.

The site had long intrigued archaeologist Vance Holliday of the University of Arizona, who first visited White Sands in 2012. “Well, next thing I know, there we were on the missile range,” he said, referring to the nearby military zone where the prints were eventually found. Though he wasn’t part of the 2019 excavation that uncovered them, his earlier geologic data helped verify their age.

New Dating Method Reinforces Earlier Findings

The original 2021 study relied on dating seeds and pollen found in the soil layers above and below the footprints. This sparked debate, as some questioned whether plant matter alone could provide reliable dates. In response, Holliday led a new team that used radiocarbon dating of ancient lakebed mud to confirm the age range of the prints.

It’s a remarkably consistent record,” said Holliday, who has studied the peopling of the Americas for nearly 50 years. “You get to the point where it’s really hard to explain all this away,” he added. “As I say in the paper, it would be serendipity in the extreme to have all these dates giving you a consistent picture that’s in error.

The findings were supported by three independent labs using three different materials—seeds, pollen, and now mud. Together, they produced 55 consistent radiocarbon dates that strongly support the original timeline.

A Story Hidden Beneath the Dunes

The footprints were found in ancient streambeds that once fed into long-dried lakes. Today, the region is covered in wind-sculpted gypsum dunes that both preserved and concealed the traces of early human movement.

The wind erosion destroyed part of the story, so that part is just gone,” Holliday explained. “The rest is buried under the world’s biggest pile of gypsum sand.

Despite the environmental challenges, Holliday and his colleague Jason Windingstad, a doctoral student in environmental science, returned in 2022 and 2023 to dig new trenches and gather fresh geological samples. Their results matched the 2021 data, further reinforcing the idea that humans were present in the area at least 21,000 years ago.

What the Absence of Tools Tells Us

Some researchers have pointed to the lack of tools or habitation structures as a reason to question the dating. But Holliday argues that the short-lived nature of the footprints—likely left during a brief walk—means no tools or other signs of occupation would be expected.

These people live by their artifacts, and they were far away from where they can get replacement material. They’re not just randomly dropping artifacts,” he said. “It’s not logical to me that you’re going to see a debris field.

For Windingstad, the moment he saw the prints in person was eye-opening. “It’s a strange feeling when you go out there and look at the footprints and see them in person,” he said. “You realize that it basically contradicts everything that you’ve been taught about the peopling of North America.

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