Mammoth tusk lifted from Seattle construction pit
To the sound of cheers, a fossilized mammoth tusk found in a Seattle construction site has been retrieved from a 30-foot-deep pit in downtown Seattle, and it's on its way to a museum.
Scientists and construction crews used a crane to retrieve and hoist the tusk from the pit to a waiting flatbed truck. The tusk was placed on a pallet, encased in plaster and covered in blankets.
The tusk is believed to be from a Columbian mammoth. It was measured at 8.5 feet long after researchers cleared enough dirt overnight to fully expose it.
Paleontologist Christian Sidor says the tusk is between 22,000 and 60,000 years old.
Construction workers found it Tuesday about 30 feet below street level, thinking at first that it might be a pipe or a root.
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