# Archaelogy and Creation Science. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2000, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaelogy-and-creation-science/40572 "2000-11-10T01:37:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaelogy-and-creation-science/40572/1 "2000-11-10T01:37:29Z")
I was just on MPISM board, and read a new chick tract from a link. The man was just having good fun. The tract made mention of Dinousar footprints next to a human print. I am no fundy and I am sure it is psuedoscience stuff. Although I am familiar with the place of the find. It is near Glen Rose, Tx. Southwest of Ft. Worth, Northwest of Waco. What is the story on this archaelogical find. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaelogy-and-creation-science/40572/2 "2000-11-10T01:47:37Z")
The area has many good trackways of dinosaur tracks, mostly the three-toed tracks of theropods (the carnosaurs like Allosaurus). An interesting thing about the tracks is that many of them seem to be made by animals walking crouched down, as if they were stalking prey and trying to look as small as possible. This behaviour left footprints with a very well defined “heel” and only slight traces of the three toes. To the casual observer, these anomalous tracks look more like oversized human footprints than traditional dino tracks. Other trackways have the well defined heel print, but the toes are filled with a sediment that is not easily differentiated from the rest of the matrix until it has been exposed to the weather for a few years. Thus a “human” print can develop toe marks after it is exposed. The situation is not helped by the fact that carving “human” footprints in the stones near the dino trackways was a cottage industry in the area during the Depression. Many of those tracks were chipped out and sold to tourists. ---
**Author:** ![JonF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JonF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonF)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaelogy-and-creation-science/40572/3 "2000-11-10T01:51:10Z")
Got a big surprise for you. The tracks are not those of Man or any near relatives of Man. See [The Texas Dinosaur/“Man Track” Controversy](http://members.aol.com/paluxy2/paluxy.html). A half-hearted retraction by the organization that originally made the claim: [The Paluxy River Mystery](http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-151.htm) and some commentary at [Review of ICR Impact Article 151](http://members.aol.com/Paluxy2/sor-ipub.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaelogy-and-creation-science/40572/4 "2000-11-10T02:44:19Z")
Both Jon and the good Dr. are correct. The “prints” aren’t human or even hominid. For that reason Paluxy river isn’t an archaeological site, but a palentological site. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaelogy-and-creation-science/40572/5 "2000-11-10T14:17:22Z")
check out [http://www.talkorigins.org](http://www.talkorigins.org) Here’s an excerpt from their article on the subject [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/onheel.html](http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/onheel.html) > [@](#): > > Conclusions > > Claims of human tracks occurring alongside dinosaur tracks in Texas have not stood up to close scientific scrutiny, and in recent years have been largely abandoned even by most creationists. Although genuine dinosaur tracks are abundant in Texas, the alleged Paluxy “man tracks” involve a variety of misidentified phenomena. The most celebrated “man tracks” on the Taylor Site are forms of “metatarsal” dinosaur tracks–made by dinosaurs which, at least at times, made elongate prints by impressing their metatarsi (soles and heels) as they walked, rather than walking on their toes only. When the digit marks on such elongate/metatarsal tracks are subdued by sediment infilling, mud- collapse, erosion, or a combination of factors, the metatarsal segment at the rear often presents an oblong shape that roughly resembles a large human footprint. Other alleged “man tracks” include erosional features and indistinct markings of uncertain origin, some of which were enhanced with water or oil at times to appear more human, or even physically altered in some cases. A smaller number of “man tracks” are outright carvings (mostly on loose blocks of rock). Claims of other “out of order” fossils from Texas and elsewhere are also lacking in scientific support.