{
  "id": 7133594,
  "title": "Luminescence dating pushes age of South Dakota's Mammoth Site back by more than 100,000 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/luminescence-dating-pushes-age-of-south-dakotas-mammoth-site-back-by",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-13T16:40:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-luminescence-dating-age-south-dakota.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Deep within an ancient sinkhole lie the remains of dozens of prehistoric mammoths, their story dating back more than 160,000 years, according to new dates published in the journal Quaternary Research. This pushes the age of South Dakota's Mammoth Site back by more than 100,000 years, far exceeding the previous estimate of 26,000 years. The site, one of the largest concentrations of mammoths in North America, was discovered in 1974 and is now a rare site dated so deep into the Pleistocene era.",
  "summary": "Deep within an ancient sinkhole lie the remains of dozens of mammoths, prehistoric wanderers who waded into the warm springs to their deaths. These deaths had long been accepted as having occurred roughly 26,000 years ago, but new dates published in the journal Quaternary Research suggest these ice-age giants were more than 160,000 years old.",
  "key_points": [
    "South Dakota's Mammoth Site is 160,000+ years old, new luminescence dating reveals",
    "Site's age increased by over 100,000 years, surpassing previous estimate of 26,000 years",
    "Mammoth Site, largest North American Pleistocene concentration, discovered in 1974"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}