Researchers recently discovered early human footprint fossils on a beach in Morocco. The fossils contain a total of 85 well-preserved human footprints and are among the oldest human footprints in the world to date. The archaeological discovery was published in the recently released Science Reports.

The study's author, Moncef Sedrati, associate professor of geomorphology at the University of Southern Brittany in France, said they accidentally discovered the first footprints and initially could not believe they were fossils of early human footprints, but then found more footprints, and these footprints eventually formed two clear footprint paths. The archaeological site is the oldest known human footprint site in North Africa and the southern Mediterranean, and analysis of the site shows that it preserves two footprint paths, with a total of 85 early human footprints left on the beach by at least five early humans.

By dating when specific minerals at or near the site were last exposed to high temperatures or sunlight, and based on the age of the quartz particles that make up most of the sand on the gently sloping beach, the research team concluded that the footprints date back to about 90,000 years ago, that is, the late Pleistocene, also known as the last ice age. Sedrati believes that "what is special about this beach is that it lies above a rock layer covered with clay sediments, which is the main reason the footprints were so well preserved."

Next, the researchers want to figure out what Ice Age people were doing on the beach. However, they must act as soon as possible, because the coastal rock layers are gradually collapsing and may eventually completely destroy these early human footprint fossils. (Beijing Daily)