Ancient footprints left by early Americans in New Mexico reveal how people experienced dramatic climate change during the last Ice Age. A new study shows that humans repeatedly crossed a landscape of shrinking lakes, changing forests, and severe droughts between 23,500 and 21,700 years ago.
The research, led by Kathleen B. Springer of the U.S. Geological Survey, provides new evidence of human activity at White Sands National Park. It also builds on earlier discoveries of 23,000-year-old footprints that challenged long-standing theories about when humans first reached North America.
Ancient footprints reveal human activity during the Ice Age
Researchers expanded excavations at White Sands and identified 20 distinct layers or groups of layers containing human footprints. They measured 152 footprints preserved in ancient sediments. The tracks belonged to people of different ages, including children younger than 4, children around 6 and 12, and adolescents or adults. Scientists also found footprints of mammoths, giant ground sloths, and other prehistoric animals.
23,000-year-old footprints in New Mexico reveal how early Americans endured dramatic Ice Age climate change. Researchers found evidence of shrinking lakes, severe droughts and repeated human activity, offering new clues about life in ancient North America. pic.twitter.com/lKfdURbvQk
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) October 15, 2026
Long marks in the sediment suggest people dragged wooden poles or simple transport devices known as “travois,” possibly to carry resources. Researchers found no evidence of permanent settlement. Instead, the footprints suggest people repeatedly traveled through the area.
New dating strengthens evidence of early Americans
The study places the footprints between approximately 23,500 and 21,700 years ago, supporting earlier findings that humans occupied North America during the Last Glacial Maximum. Previous dating estimates faced questions because ancient lake water could have affected the radiocarbon ages of plant seeds.
To address this, researchers improved methods for dating ancient pollen, reducing measurement uncertainties fivefold. They compared the results with plant seeds and climate records from Greenland ice cores. The findings strengthen the timeline of human activity at White Sands and contribute to the wider debate over when humans first arrived in the Americas.
Early Americans witnessed dramatic environmental changes
Around 24,000 years ago, Lake Otero covered much of the area, while pine, spruce, and fir forests grew in nearby mountains. However, the region began warming around 23,600 years ago, even as much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced increasingly cold conditions. As temperatures rose, Lake Otero retreated, and forests gave way to oak and sagebrush vegetation.
Around 23,200 years ago, a severe but brief drought reduced rainfall and increased water salinity. The earliest footprints identified in the expanded excavation date to approximately this period, when retreating water exposed new ground. Despite these changes, people continued visiting the basin for nearly 2,000 years, suggesting its remaining resources were important.
Although the footprints do not reveal specific survival strategies, they show that humans repeatedly traveled through the region as its climate and landscape changed. The findings add to growing archaeological and genetic evidence about the origins and early movements of Native American populations during the last ice age.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
