Abstract
The discovery of a near complete skeleton of Mammuthus columbi in a cornfield located on the northern slopes of the Sierra Chichinautzin volcanic field south of Mexico City sparked the interest of the scientific and public community. Although remains of this species of mammoth are frequently discovered in central Mexico, this new find is at the southernmost and highest (ca. 2770 m asl) location yet within the Mexico Basin. In addition, the bones were found embedded in dark volcanic ash, raising the possibility of a relationship between the death of the animal and explosive activity at a neighboring scoria cone, as the site is located <10 km from several young volcanoes. Stratigraphic, sedimentological, geochemical, and geochronological studies were conducted at the discovery site and within a 5-km radius to determine the tephra stratigraphy in the area and constrain the source of the “mammoth ash” and the age and taphonomy of the fossil remains. Results show that the mammoth was buried after death by stream-flows (dilute lahars) that were triggered by torrential rain that remobilized loose scoriaceous ash ejected by the San Miguel cone some time after its eruption ca. 17,000 BP.
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Acknowledgments
Field and laboratory costs were defrayed from projects funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología CONACyT (167231 granted to C.S. and 152294 granted to M.G.) and the Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico UNAM-DGAPA (IN-109412-3 granted to C.S. and IB102312 granted to M.G.). Research was developed in colaboration with the “Proyecto para la localización y recuperación de restos óseos de mamut en Santa Ana Tlacotenco, Milpa Alta, D.F.”
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Guilbaud, MN., Arana-Salinas, L., Siebe, C. et al. Volcanic stratigraphy of a high-altitude Mammuthus columbi (Tlacotenco, Sierra Chichinautzin), Central México. Bull Volcanol 77, 17 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-015-0903-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-015-0903-5