WORKERS STUMBLE UPON A STRANGE LOOKING ROCK THAT HAD A 10,000-YEAR-OLD STORY TO TELL

 

Have you ever thought about the route you take every time or the place you call home or the place you work could have been holding something extremely important under its foundation? We have become so busy in our day to day lives that we don’t get time to think about the possibility that the place where we live or the place we work or the route we walk on daily might have been built on something extraordinary that was lost in time.

This is exactly what had happened when the construction workers who were working on a site for a new subway system stumbled upon something incredibly interesting. Like it was so hard to believe that the whole work came to halt. The construction workers had no idea what it was and then the experts arrived and what they told about the object was something you wouldn’t have heard ever before. What was the object? You’ll find out soon…

New Site

Los Angeles has a large underground subway system. In recent years, this system has been expanding on a larger scale that would soon connect every corner of the city making the traveling more convenient. And it was during one of these construction works when few labors spotted something at the site. Everybody was stunned to see the object from the past. But what was the object?

History Beneath The Surface

The construction workers were doing their regular job and were asked to dig up the site on which new subway was to be built. However, they weren’t hoping to play the part of archeologists when they stumbled upon the most amazing thing the world has ever seen. Confusion all around they were left speechless.

Secret Lies Beneath

There are still so many secrets lying underground that are waiting to get explored. This discovery was the first step towards it. This discovery has already been declared as the greatest geological treasure ever found, and it has shattered many popular beliefs held by paleontologists all around the globe.

Westside Subway Extension Begins

The construction work began several years ago before this discovery was made. Where the construction workers thought they were working for the project of the subway, they were actually fulfilling the destiny of the past to bring out this exceptional thing out in public in present times as a gift to the world for the future to see what all happened in the past.

The Project

The project on which the construction work was being done was the Westside Subway Extension which was building an additional 7 miles to the Purple Line the existing subway underground network. It’s not like everyday people make discoveries even great archeologists have to follow some steps from the books before they could dig out something in front of the world. Before this project begin there was a secret which was held about the possibility of finding something. Nothing concrete was said during that meeting except to be aware and vigilant at the site.

The Meeting

Unlike other projects, this time was different. The team of specialists was called to have a look around the site. They were asked to check out the site and locate some valuable spot which they deemed important in their background of work. For several years, the researchers have been investigating and gathering information about the location where this project was being started. They even asked the authorities to change the course of the project but the authorities had no other choice. So, what can be done?

Before It All Started

Before the project started the team of researchers asked the authorities to give them some time to locate the possible spots which they believed was important. The authorities had a lot of questions for them. They wanted to start the project as soon as possible because it was already delayed several times. But then, you can’t just ignore the scientists. They are intelligent you see. They know things which normal people like us could only dream of.

One Mission Before The Project

The team of scientists was given permission to explore the area before anything started there. The team was excited as they were hoping to find something but the problem was they were asked to explore the site not dig it up because that could create problems for the subway project which they didn’t want. They already had so much pressure on their heads because of the project on which the public taxes were being put. And you don’t play with the public’s tax money, do you?

Spotting The Spots

The team of researchers didn’t have much time as they were given a limited time to fulfill their desires. You know these archeologists study a lot. They study geography, history, and what not and then they combine the information which in result produce a piece of new information. The team marked several spots before they finished the investigation. Remember they were asked to not to dig up anything. So, why mark the spot anyway? There was a reason behind that.

The Reason

Very much aware of the conditions that were put on them, they somehow managed to locate a few important spots. They told the authorities of the Westside Subway Extension that when their workers dig up these spots ask them to pay more attention. The authorities asked them again about the reason behind it but the team didn’t tell them anything. They had their reasons. They knew if their assumptions were right, then the world is not ready for it, yet!

The Date Was Declared

The Westside Subway Extension project would soon start. The date was set. The company which was asked to do the work was notified. The workers were assigned. The authorities were well aware of the fact that from now onwards they will get busy and there won’t be a single minute to spare. Projects this big require lots of work before they begin and after they are finished.

Except For The Few

Though people of the city were excited that now there will be an extended Purple Line and their traveling would be much easier. There was one team who was very critical about the project. It was the same team which explored the site before the works started. They were so sure of the workers. To them, it was all wrong. They believed that the workers might spoil everything. But that didn’t happen because the discovery was made.

Groundbreaking Discovery

The authorities started the work but before that, an event was held in which several politicians, construction crews, and scientists were part of it. They thought the purple ribbon was being cut for the project, but there was something buried inside the ground that would soon be out in front of the world.

The Law States So

In California, there is an actual law which states that there should be a scientist present nearby if in case the scientists feel that the construction should be stopped. It’s done in order to help save the environment. That day there was also a scientist who had no idea that it would be a life-changing moment.

The Scientist

It was a paleontologist named Ashley Leger who was assigned the task to keep an eye for a potential threat on the environment. It was her job to say stop anytime she felt like the construction is damaging the environment. She was excited about it. But her excitement became something else when the discovery was made.

One Of Its Kind

You might ask, what in the world a paleontologist is doing at the construction site when many of them are stationed in deserts, and historic sites? But Ashley was a different kind of paleontologist. Her major was to focus on the construction sites specifically. She believes there are so much to find under these constructions sites. Indeed there was. She was right.

City Fossil Finder

Ashley was a city fossil discoverer. There are so many lands on which construction has been done and are still left unexcavated. The scientists believe that there are so much to discover under these lands. But unfortunately, that doesn’t happen every day. You can’t just demolish a building just because you believe there could be something buried under it. So, city paleontologist wait for events like this construction project where they hope would stumble upon something. This time Ashley was lucky. Or you could say she was the luckiest person in the world that day.

Preserving The Fossils

Companies like Cogstone Resource Management where Ashley also works have been working for several years together with the city and authorities to preserve the history. They want to keep the past alive. And they are doing a great job. It was Ashley and her company’s efforts that made this discovery possible.

Anything?

Ashley and her team were on the site waiting eagerly for the work to start of the Purple Line. Ashley has been to several construction sites before. She has accepted that it’s not always one finds something on the sites. Someday you win and someday you lose. It wasn’t her but the experience speaking which she has gained in all these years of her career.

Dig Deeper

Unlike regular diggings, subway sites require deeper diggings. The earth is touched to the core by the advanced machinery. Ashley knew that when you dig up to some limit where fossils are found there are chances you can find something exceptional. She was correct. Indeed they found a fossil. But it was no regular fossil. Because even the experts couldn’t tell what it was in the first place. Soon, they found out.

Searching For Treasures

With each passing day, Ashley and her team grew impatient. They were hoping that one day they will get the news that the construction workers have found something of their interest. Clearly, it was not happening any time soon. But that made the discovery more interesting. When you don’t expect things to happen and then they happen. The feeling is incredible.

A Small Start

The work was already going in full swing. The workers were working really hard and then they also started finding some small fossils. Every time construction workers found something they used to call Ashley as she was the expert to have a look. One of these days she was hoping that they would call her up for something big.

A Good Feeling

Whenever she used to get called for to have a look over the findings her confidence grew stronger. She knew that this construction site was special. She knew somewhere in her heart that there was something special about this site. She herself said, “it’s not every day that such a giant pit is being dug!”

Fossil Notifications

Ashley said she used to check her phone every two or three minutes to see if she has skipped a notification. The construction workers kept unearthing small fossils and Ashley was the first to get notified about it. But she was looking for that one special notification…

Life Is An Adventure

With goggles and hardhat in hand, Ashley was always on her feet. Running from one spot to another she made sure that no fossils go unrecorded on her watch. For her, every day is like a field trip filled with adventure. She keeps a tab on each and every fossil. She is very specific about keeping the fossils on their exact location. But that day when his discovery was made her day was turned into more than an adventure.

Aware And Cautious

The team has already made the construction workers aware of the situation where they believed that this location was important for them. They asked the construction workers to work with a little caution so that they don’t damage the fossils by chance. Ashley believed that the fossils around this area could be as old as 10,000 years or maybe more. She wasn’t ready to take chances.

Leading The Way

The construction workers were specifically told that it doesn’t matter if the thing looks like a weird rock, you have a doubt you call the expert. It seemed like Ashley was running the show. She was authorized to stop the work whenever she felt important. And for the first time, she ordered to stop everything. They have discovered the most amazing thing from the past that was about to change history.

A Massive Find For Ashley

Once Ashley was sitting in her office when she got a call. There was something huge that was found. People said it was a bit strange looking rock. Some said it looked like a monster. But it has to be Ashley who can tell what it actually was. She rushed towards the spot where the discovery was made. Her eyes grew wider and mouth broader. She knew what it was.

The Skull

 

The fossil looked like an elephant skull. But even she was wrong. When she got closer to the fossil, she inspected it for a while. Everybody was waiting for Ashley to perform her last magic trick. Then she said something, not audible to the people present, she might have said something to herself. The skull was not of an elephant but of a young mammoth. It was a huge discovery as it’s very rare to find a mammoth skull in the LA area.

A Daily Surprise

After the discovery was made the skull was kept in a safe place. Ashley was now confident that there could be more fossils like this one which was discovered. The team was filled with excitement and with each passing day more and more discoveries were being made but unfortunately not as big as the mammoth skull.

What Else?

Ashley and her team have found several fossils of horse bone, a rabbit jaw, and several others. to her, these discoveries make the site looks like a zoo. The crew has also discovered whales, sea otters, and sloths in the areas. Ashely says that these findings might seem pretty normal to many people but when you think about that in the past several of these ancient animals roamed the same streets where we now see hundreds of cars every day. It’s just amazing. But then one call changed everything for Ashley.

Waiting For The Treasure Chest

One night Ashley got a call from the construction site. She was still in her sleep when her phone buzzed. She saw the name on the screen it was from one of her team members. She thought that it would be some small animal fossil again, but the way the person on the other side was talking he seemed very excited. So excited that more than the voice Ashley was hearing the person’s breath over the phone. She had to leave for the site.

The Night That Changed It All

That one call changed Ashley’s life forever. The man on the other side of the phone told her that they have found the most amazing fossil at the site. The team waited for her to reach as it was only her experience which could have said something about the fossil. Ashley knew that she shouldn’t get this discovery over her head as it could just turn into nothing. The next morning…

The Next Morning

She woke up early and was trying hard to reach the site as soon as possible. She was waiting to see what was that the construction workers have found. If you have ever been woken up in the middle of the night where you get to hear something very exciting then you might know how hard it gets to go back to sleep. Ashley kept thinking about every possibility around the discovery.

Everyone Out Of The Way

The construction crew was told beforehand that they shouldn’t enter the site without permission until Ashley has inspected the discovery properly. One of the workers, Dave Sotero said, “the crew wants the scientists to have their time with the fossils and they stay out of the way the best they can.”

A 10,000-Year-Old

Even though the construction workers had no idea what was going in, they were still excited about it or maybe it was the excitement that the work has stopped for a while and they could rest. However, it was the fossil that was important at that very moment. A 10,000-year-old fossil was lying there in front of the people. A mammoth skull!

An All-Day Project

The main digging was already finished by the construction workers and it was now Ashley and her team’s job to dig it further which was a 15 hours long job. However, they spent all day digging the area to see what else they could find there. It was a hard job. Digging for 15 hours is not a child’s play.

Each Fossil

When Ashley and her team were digging the site they came across several fossils. The big one was left alone for a while before they could tell anything concrete about it. They kept digging the land for 15 hours which showed how serious Ashley and her team was when it came to their job. Each fossil was a time capsule that took them in the past.

The 15-Hour Find

After 15 hours of struggle, the mammoth skull was pulled out. And the team then spent another 15 hours carefully removing the dust from the skull. This big find was a boost for the team as they have been working for days trying to find something in the land and when they found a mammoth skull which was very rare.

The Skull Was Shifted

After the team completely removed the dust from the skull it was moved to the Brea Tar Pits. There the skull would be studied thoroughly by few experts that would tell them more about 10,000-years-old. During the investigation, several new information was out in open. 

A Decade Later

“Finding a mammoth skull is a career maker for someone that is a paleontologist,” explained Ashley. She has spent over 10 years in the field where they have found a similar skull in South Dakota. This discovery has helped Ashley in boosting her career to some great heights. Her name was added among the top paleontologists.

1 in 30

The discovery was made in Los Angeles. There have been only a few more discoveries like this one, but for the paleontology people, it was a life-changing event that happened that day at the construction field. But there was something really special about the discovery.

The Condition

The mammoth skull was really special. Unlike other skulls where usually skull is missing tusks or some other part of the skull, this skull which was found at the construction site was found in a very good condition. Ashley told how real the skull was and everybody was really shocked to see how in the world 10,000-year-old was still in such a good condition.

Hayden Is Born

Ashley gave the discovery the name “Hayden.” The name was based on the day it was found. Before the digging started Hayden Panettiere was on the TV. So, Ashley gave the fossil the same name based on the day it was found.

Hayden Goes Public

If you want to see Hayden for real then you can visit it at the La Brea tar pits Museum. The Museum features a big Fossil Lab where Ashley and her team’s discovery has been put on display for the public to see what an amazing thing it was that was found on that day. The Fossil Lab is a glass-walled room and watching those amazing fossils from all around the corner is breathtaking.

The True 1%

According to Ashley, fossils that are found are always in pretty bad shape it’s very rare to find something intact like this fossil. It is also believed that 99% of the Earth does not make it to the fossilization. All the other discoveries that have been made in the past indicates that there are still other fossils waiting to get discovered.

Still Hope

After the discovery was made Ashley was pretty confident of finding something at the site as the construction work is still in process. The work in the Purple Line has few more years to get complete in all sense. And there is still hope. The team is positive that they might be able to find something.

The Team

After the discovery, the team was so excited that they made sure that they work even harder so that they could find something else. They weren’t hoping to find something like the mammoth skull but they were hoping to find something similar to the skull. Maybe a whole skeleton of the mammoth whose skull was found. 

Beneath Beverly Hills

At one point, the whole of Los Angeles was underwater. Time passed and the urbanization took over. The construction started, buildings were built. People built their houses and shops around the city fueling the economy. Ashley hopes that one day they could also find something else similar to the mammoth skull or maybe even older than Hayden.

Deep In The Ground

Hayden was found after hours of hard work. The construction workers and the team of paleontologists made sure that they keep the fossil in the same condition in which it was found. Hayden was buried under 25 feet below the ground. It’s our limitation that we haven’t been able to go deeper in the ground to find something more prehistoric like a whale or an unfamiliar species.