A 15,600-year-old footprint fossil found in southern Chile is believed to be the evidence of the oldest human presence in the Americas, according to a recent study.
“Little by little in South America we’re starting to find sites with evidence of human presence, but this is the oldest in the Americas,” Karen Moreno, lead author of the study, was quoted as saying.
The 26 cm-long, bean-shaped footprint was first uncovered by the end of 2010 at the Pilauco archaeological site in the Chilean city of Osorno.
It took years for researchers at the Austral University of Chile to figure out its formation and age.
The researchers radiocarbon dated organic plant materials found in the fossil to estimate its age and produced a series of X-ray images to analyse the footprint in detail.