Calico Early Man Site

Record summary

The Calico site is a desert locality where Louis Leakey and later researchers identified large numbers of purported stone tools and proposed a very early human presence in North America. Other archaeologists argued that the pieces were naturally fractured geofacts produced by desert and sedimentary processes. The controversy has historical importance because it shows how excavation prestige, artifact counts, and claims of great antiquity can outpace consensus. Researchers can use it to compare criteria for recognizing intentional lithic technology in heavily disturbed or naturally stony settings.