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El Fin Del Mundo

Sonora

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Location of the Terlingua siteAge. Late Wisconsin, with radiocarbon dates placing it at about 13,300 to 12,800 calendar years (ca. 11,500 to 10,800 uncalibrated dates), according to Sanchez et al. (2014). Sanchez et al. (2009) noted presence of "horse- and bison-size bones in addition to the gomphothere, but do not formally attribute them to horse and bison.

There also is a lower fossil bed (Rancholabrean) with no indication of human association (Sanchez et al. 2009); the fauna noted below, except for the gomphothere, is from the lower, Rancholabrean bed.

General Description. El Fin Del Mundo is an archaeological site on an erosional outcrop in an intermontane basin in the Sonoran Desert about 100 km northwest of Hermosillo (Sanchez et al. 2014).

Discussion. The site, as described by Sanchez et al. (2014) appears to show a hunter-prey relationship based on Clovis artifacts intimately associated with gomphothere remains. It also is one of the oldest dated Clovis sites as well as the southernmost such site. The occurrence of Cuvieronius is the latest record of the gomphothere in North America.

Fauna.

Cuvieronius sp.—Cuvier's Gomphothere (Sanchez et al. 2014)
Mammut sp.—Mastodons (Sanchez et al. 2009)
Equus sp.—Horses (Sanchez et al. 2009)
Tapirus sp.—Tapirs (Sanchez et al. 2009)
Bison sp.—Bison (Sanchez et al. 2009)

Literature. Sanchez et al. 2009; Sanchez et al. 2014.

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Last Update: 11 Aug 2014