Cerutti Mastodon Site

Record summary

The Cerutti Mastodon site contains mastodon bones, cobbles, and fragments interpreted by its excavators as evidence of intentional bone breakage and stone-anvil activity around 130,000 years ago. If accepted, the claim would radically revise the chronology of human presence in North America. Many archaeologists have disputed the interpretation, emphasizing natural breakage, unclear artifact status, and the absence of unequivocal hominin remains. It is therefore a particularly useful comparison case for distinguishing a published extraordinary claim from a broadly accepted archaeological consensus.