Gillette thinks the bones are in good condition for being over 11,000 years old, but they still required physical support in the form of plaster casts before they could be transported from the site. In the lab, the plaster will be removed, the bones will be glued together, and, Gillette hopes, some determinations will be made. For example, scientists will examine the bones for marks left by primitive tools or by the teeth of predators. Gillette believes that present-day vegetation in the area is similar to what was here 11,500 years ago. Gillette is hoping there also might be signs of these other types of animals within the Columbian mammoth excavation.
Students use plaster to help stabilize the bones for transport.
Mapping the excavation site. It's still too soon to tell if much of this mammoth's skeleton was transported downstream by floods in the wash, or if there is more of the skeleton left to uncover at the excavation site. Only a tiny part of the area has so far been exposed, so there may be additional finds to come. Last year, rotating crews of high school students from the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership School, a charter institution located on the museum's campus, helped with the excavation, as well as soil screening and preparation of the bones for shipment. The students, who viewed the dig as a priceless opportunity for hands-on science, were onsite for seven days at a time in two crews, each comprised of four students and a teacher.