Ancient symbols engraved on boulders were seen laying along Nevada's dried out lake. They have been confirmed by scientists that the rock engravings possible date back to 14,800 years ago.
The petroglyphs carved on limestone feature simple lines, swirls, and ambiguous shapes. Some of the shapes resemble that of flowers, leaves, trees, and even diamonds. The artworks range from 8 inches in size to as wide as 3 feet.
Geochemist Larry Benson concluded that the ancient artworks located in the northeastern part of Reno are at least 10, 500 years old. He said in an interview, "Whether they turn out to be as old as 14,800 years ago or as recent as 10,500 years ago, they are still the oldest petroglyphs that have been dated in North America."
The now desiccated Winnemucca Lake was once the home of the petroglyphs -they were submerged in water for a time. As the water slowly dried up, carbonate formed on the boulders making it possible for Benson's team to look for clues in the carbonate. Radiocarbon testing revealed that they are indeed at the age range of 10,300 to 14,800 years old.
It is not known what the creators of the petroglyphs used but according to the scientists, it is possible that the ancient artists utilized hard volcanic rock to be able to engrave lines or figures on the soft limestone. Because of this theory, it is possible that the artwork did not take long to carve. Benson said Wednesday, "Whether all of them were done within a short period of time or over a span of hundreds of years, I don't know," Benson said in an interview on Wednesday.
Benson said it is possible to get the exact age of the boulders through getting carbonate from inside but confirmed to the media that he did not agree to do this.
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