Tunnel Boring Machine Unearths Mastodon Remains in Virginia
During the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project in Virginia, a 46-foot tunnel boring machine named Mary, operating 110 feet beneath the harbor, unearthed mastodon remains. An operator at the slurry treatment plant spotted a mastodon tooth among the excavated material, leading to the discovery. The machine processes up to 16,000 gallons of slurry per minute, and operators are primarily trained to identify objects that could damage the cutterhead, such as metal. The mastodon tooth, with its distinctive pointed ridges, stood out from typical seabed contents. This discovery marks only the third mastodon found in Virginia. The project's soil data suggests the remains are between 12,000 and 50,000 years old. Experts from the Virginia Museum of Natural History, William & Mary, and Virginia’s historic-resources department believe the animal likely died in a mud pit within a freshwater river that once flowed through the area when sea levels were lower.
