Preliminary data points to oldest human footprints

Twelve single footprints were discovered in April in a layer of clay on a beach on remote Calvert Island in the Great Bear Rainforest on BC’s central coast. Archaeologists Drs. Duncan McLaren and Daryl Fedje, researchers with the Hakai Institute and the University of Victoria’s Department of Anthropology, were digging for prehistoric stone tools and bones—only to discover what could be the oldest human footprints in North America.

“There are layers above and below all 12 footprints that still need to be rigorously tested and analyzed,” McLaren points out. “This is an exciting hint of a group of footprints left behind in prehistoric times and now we will dig deeper into this discovery to duplicate and confirm the preliminary results with radiocarbon dating.”

McLaren and Fedje were interviewed for a feature story published yesterday in the institute’s Hakai Magazine. Read the full story here: http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-long/time-travelers.

Media advisory: Availability for interviews is limited this week. Dr. McLaren is not available today for interviews but can be reached tomorrow by email.

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