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The Dinosaur & Man Tracks Controversy

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Introduction

Critical work (1970) and more intensive scientific studies in recent years, have convincingly refuted the "man track" claims, and led to their abandonment even by most creationists.

Discussion

The following is a list of "man-tracks" sites that creationists have erroneously claimed indicate man existed side by side with dinosaurs.

State Park Ledge: natural irregularities and features caused by erosion of the substrate.

The Taylor Site (the Paluxy site most often claimed to contain human tracks): thorough analyses indicate that the alleged human tracks here are elongate, metatarsal dinosaur tracks made by dinosaurs that, at least at times, impressed their soles and heels as they walked. When the digit marks of such tracks (common in the Paluxy Riverbed) are subdued by one or more factors (erosion, sediment infilling, or mud-collapse), they often resemble giant human prints. Most of the tracks on the Taylor Site are largely in filled with a secondary sediment which hardened into the original track depressions. When the tracksite surface is well cleaned, at least some tracks in each trail show shallow tridactyl (three-toed) digit impressions indicating dinosaurian origin, as well as colour and texture distinctions corresponding to the infilled material and further confirming the dinosaurian nature of the tracks. Recent claims that some of these tracks have human prints within them have been shown to be as baseless as the original claims.

The Baugh/McFall Sites: acknowledged by creationists to consist of eroded, elongate dinosaur tracks. Since 1982 several other sites along this ledge have been excavated by Carl Baugh and associates, who claimed many other "man tracks" there but rigorous studies have failed to support such claims. The alleged human tracks on these sites involve several phenomena, including elongate dinosaur tracks and parts thereof; indistinct elongate marks of unknown origin that were not in striding trails; shallow, vague markings in the rock surface or overlying marl; invertebrate trace patterns, and some markings with evidence of deliberate alteration.

Alleged Human and Cat tracks loose rocks: Some loose blocks of rock with human or cat-like prints, reputed to have come from Glen, first appeared during the late 1930's. These tracks were promoted as genuine by some creationists however, anatomic problems with the prints, knowledge of past carving practices in Glen Rose, and problematic cross-sectional features, lead most researchers to reject their authenticity.

Other Loose Fossils and Artefacts: other objects claimed by a few to represent "out-of-order" fossils are an alleged "human tooth," "trilobite," and a hammer. The tooth, found in the Paluxy in 1987, has been conclusively shown to be a fish tooth. The trilobite, reportedly found decades ago in the Paluxy, was not documented in place, and cannot be linked reliably to the riverbed strata. The hammer, reportedly from a Palaeozoic formation near London, Texas, is encased in a concretion and thus may be unrelated to the age of the host rock. Other Texas artefacts have also been claimed by some to be "out-of-order" fossils, but also are not well supported.

Conclusion

Although genuine dinosaur tracks are abundant in Texas, claims of human tracks have not withstood close scientific scrutiny, and in recent years have been largely abandoned even by most creationists. Alleged Paluxy "man tracks" involve a variety of spurious phenomena, including erosional features, metatarsal dinosaur tracks, indistinct markings of unknown origin, and a few loose carvings.

It is worth noting that many past "man track" advocates had applied water, oil, or other substances to the markings to encourage the appearance of human shapes; however, without selective highlighting none show clear human features.

References

  1. “Man Tracks? A Summary of the Paluxy "Man Track" Controversy”, Glen J. Kuban (1992)
  2. "The Burdick Print", Glen J. Kuban (1989-96)
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