Mahaska Mammoth Dig Continues With Winter Approaching

Volunteers continue searching for clues about the mammoths located at a rural Oskaloosa farm.

by Kathryn Mortensen

Oskaloosa, Iowa – What is it about this site that draws in the young explorers and the seasoned scientists? It is the experience of discovery, that majestic feeling of uncovering something that has not seen the sky in millennia. This Mammoth site has been a catalyst for scholarship and an opportunity to re-energize many people’s scientific batteries. There has been an increasing interest in the Pleistocene epoch (Ice Age) in the younger generations. Pop culture is partly to blame for this new fascination, with movies like Ice Age that bring animals like the Sabre Tooth Tiger, the Giant Sloth and of course the Wooly Mammoth to life. But, also it is the adults who are pushing science programs in the school systems that really get kids involved. This most recent trip to the Mammoth dig site showed just how much the future leaders of the world care about the past. Among the numerous volunteers, there were many kids and teenagers alike. A science club from a nearby school and a Boy Scout troop were in the hole getting dirty, looking for bones. These younger people dove right in, wanting to participate and be part of the next unearthing.
From all over Iowa people are getting involved in this dig. There are geologists, archaeologists, and conservationists, just to name a few. This site is not for a specific group of people, even hospitals and museums are getting their hands dirty with this project. As the dig has progressed there have been new developments in what life was like for the Mammoth. Vertebrae have been uncovered recently that show evidence of warping. This type of warping is called antemortem or before death which could mean that this particular Mammoth lived through disease. Not only disease affected the Mammoth’s bones, but also external components, like fighting, can cause the bones to be deformed. These types of distortions tell researchers what kind of life the Mammoth lead, whether they lived a healthy life or if they were starved. This gives us a glimpse of a time when environmental conditions were much more severe and predators were lurking behind every tree.

The Mammoth bones are not in the place where the Mammoth most likely died, they have traveled. They were washed down stream before they were buried in the earth. It is also evident that they did not travel far, since the bones are in such good condition. The landscape of this area has changed countless times over the past few millennia. The creek has moved and shifted, trees have grown and died. From the bones that are being unearthed, the scientists can tell where the creek used to flow by how the bones are laid out in the dirt.

This dig season will soon be coming to an end, the ground is cooling off and the air is getting colder. When the ice starts to invade the site, it will cause the ground to harden and it will be too hard to dig. But, this site is far from being depleted of its knowledge. The spring will bring a new revival of volunteers, scientists and hopefully many more future scientists. This dig is far from over. In the words of David Brenzel, of the Indian Creek Nature Center, “Mahaska County is Mammoth Country.”