Lubbock's landscape just got a whole lot more interesting as workers surveying for the new Loop 88 stumbled upon remnants of prehistoric life, with TxDOT's environmental affairs division uncovering the bones of colossal creatures known as megafauna. According to Chris Ringstaff, project planner at TxDOT, finding these huge beasts isn't new for the region, but the full scope of the discovery is yet to be uncovered, as reported by TxDOT.
Standing as a testament to an ancient world, the Panhandle area is filled with playas, the dried-up beds of Ice Age lakes where megafauna once quenched their massive thirsts, and if TxDOT's hunches are right, the Loop 88 site just might be home to evidence of human interactions with these giant creatures, which would be a first for them, yet work has to proceed with caution because if human artifacts are discovered it could affect the road construction under state and federal law, Ringstaff explained to the Texas Department of Transportation.
With the possibility of such a significant find, TxDOT has employed a technique known as staged mitigation which includes digging deeper for artifacts like chipped stone or ancient spear points, this careful process is part of their efforts to preserve Texas history before embarking on new road constructions, described Cultural Resources Section Director Rebekah Dobrasko in details given to TxDOT. Meanwhile, TxDOT staff and consulting archaeologists have excavated bones and taken samples to be analyzed by paleontologists who have already identified a giant ground sloth tooth among the findings, however, the full assortment of species represented at the site remains a question mark.
The Museum of Texas Tech University is collaborating with TxDOT on the project, ensuring the proper preparation, identification, and storage of the excavated bones, so far, experts have set their sights on precise identification of the unearthed bones and with micro-artifacts possibly lurking in the soils, they're relying on geological dating techniques to craft a clearer timeline of the discoveries, and, Ringstaff tells TxDOT, should these findings reveal a human connection, it would signify a groundbreaking moment for a TxDOT project.
Amidst the thrill of discovery, the practicalities of construction are not forgotten, with TxDOT ensuring none of the investigatory work halts the road project’s progress. The design plans were in place well before the digs commenced, sidestepping any potential hitch in the road's timeline. Ringstaff summed it up with a slice of charm in his conversation with TxDOT: "We're here to get the road built. But who doesn’t love digging up big ol’ animals?"
