The Mammoth Site, Hot Springs

The simple act of getting a drink of water led to the deaths of hundreds of animals 26,000 years ago at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. After they entered the spring-fed sinkhole to drink and bathe, the mammoths were unable to climb back up the slippery banks and became trapped, ultimately starving to death. Since 1974, 53 Columbian mammoths and three woolly mammoths have been unearthed, making this the first site both species have been found together. Other fossils discovered include camel, llama, giant short-faced bear, wolf, coyote and prairie dog.
The watering hole, active for about 350-700 years, slowly filled with layers of drying silt, sediments, and dying mammoths. The mud, which had aided in trapping the mammoths, now entombed and preserved the mammoth remains.

Eventually the sinkhole filled, and the artesian spring diverted to the lower elevation of Fall River, as the river cut deeper in the valley floor.
Over thousands of years, the "hardened mud plug" inside the dried-up pond has remained stable. The surrounding dirt, the soft red Spearfish shale, ultimately eroded, leaving the sinkhole a hill.
Visitors
Visitors may tour the working dig and Ice Age exhibit in Hot Springs year-round. The Earthwatch Institute sponsors an excavation at The Mammoth Site each year. Contact Earthwatch at 1-800-776-0188 for more information. The Mammoth Site also offers the Junior Paleontologist Program seven days a week through Aug. 15. Participants dig for replicas of actual bones found at the site. Merit badges in geology for Boy and Girl Scouts are offered.

Admission charged. Call The Mammoth Site at (605) 745-6017 or visit MammothSite.com.