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Wed July 26, 2000 - Southeast Edition
It’s not unusual for road construction contractors to find strange objects when preparing sites. Old earthen ware, various animal bones, even the occasional toilet have all been unearthed during road construction projects. But when contractor Summer-Taylor Inc, of Elizabethton, TN, began excavation work on State Route 75 in Gray, TN, what they found has the potential to change the way archeologists and geologists have thought about the southeast.
In mid-May, a road crew from Summer-Taylor was widening a section between Boonesboro and Shadden roads in the Gray community when they ran into some clay sediment that was causing some geotechnical concerns regarding the stability of the soft clay deposit. They immediately called in the Tennessee Department of Transportation geologist for advice. What they had uncovered in the process were the partial remains of what appeared to be a very large animal.
One of the geologists, who had had some experience out west and was familiar with the Pleistocene Age, recognized some of the fossils on the site.
“He couldn’t believe what he was looking at,” said Luanne Grandinetti, spokesperson for the DOT’s Department of Public Affairs. “There had never been anything of this nature found in Tennessee before.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation contacted the state archeologist, who in turn referred them to geologists at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Employees from the Tennessee Department of Environment Division of Geology also were contacted.
Members of the University and the Tennessee Department of Transportation geologists have identified the bones of animals hundreds of thousands of years old in what is being described as a major fossil find. What they found were bones from mastodons, horses, beavers, tapirs, giant ground sloths and a turtle. Also found were fossilized seeds, berries, leaves and other plant litter.
According to Tennessee Department of Transportation geologists, most of the fossils are bones, but there are several complete skeletons of tapirs, an animal about the size of a small cow that fed on grasses in wet areas.
Bones from a giant beaver found at the site suggest it could have been as big as 9 ft. long and 4 ft. high. The ground sloth bones show that it was larger than a modern-day horse.
“Nothing of this significance has been found like this in Tennessee,” said Grandinetti. “The geologists are still on the site and will stay until they feel everything has been found.”
The unexpected fossil find hasn’t stopped the crew of Summer-Taylor, though. “It’s a fairly big project so they are able to work in different locations for the time being,” said Grandinetti.
News of the discovery had been kept secret for two months. “We were afraid that the site might be plundered,” said Grandinetti. Even with the secrecy, some artifacts already have been removed.
“Our understanding is that it is a pretty significant find,” said Grandinetti. “Geologists are trying to date them now. They could be extremely old.”
Geologist on the site estimate the fossils date from 10,000 to 1.8 million years ago, which would put it mid-way into the Ice Age, the period known as Pleistocene.
“The animals were found in some soft clay deposits which might have been an ancient lake or large pond bed,” Grandinetti said.
She said geologists from the Tennessee Division of Geology of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, along with professors of geology and archaeology from the University of Tennessee, visited the site when it was first discovered and have since gone back a number of times.
One of the most exciting finds is the mastodon, a relative to the elephant. “Most of the fossils found were pieces of bones and teeth,” said Grandinetti. “But geologists found a large chunk of the mastodon’s tusk and were very excited.”
“Some of the people at the university who are looking at this have written extensively on tapirs for most of their professional careers,” said Grandinetti. “They are now able to look at whole remains, and believe me, they are very excited.” So far 10 to 12 entire tapir skeletons have been uncovered.
“This is so huge for the state of Tennessee,” said Grandinetti. “It has gotten everyone talking and excited. The biggest issue right now is where are we going to put them? Washington County wants them, the University of Tennessee wants them, even the region director of the Tennessee Department of Transportation wants them!”
No matter who ends up with the fossils, geologists from all over the country will be swarming to Tennessee to study and theorize on the remarkable find.