Knowing when human settlement began in a place helps us understand how and when culture, agriculture, and more developed in that place. If humans walked in America as much as 23,000 years ago, this means they existed there during the Ice Age! Even though the White Sands National Park is now covered with chalk-colored dunes, 20,000–30,000 years ago it was grassland with wetter soil. Mammoths, giant sloth bears, and humans walked the muddy shores of shallow lakes. Although the lakes started drying up when the climate changed, the footprints remained.Â
Researchers suggested that the dates of these footprints could range from 21,000–23,000 years ago. This supports the idea that humans were present in the southern part of North America before the last glacial peak of the Ice Age. Previously, this prediction had remained an idea without any proof, but now it is a strong standing fact, thanks to this evidence!