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Time travel? Modern hammer found in a piece of rock from the Cretaceous period

Bylim Olena

Time travel? Modern hammer found in a piece of rock from the Cretaceous period
A hammer found in a rock

In June 1936, Emma Zadie Hahn and her husband Max Edmond Hahn, while walking along Red Creek, London, Texas, discovered an unexpected find: a piece of wood sticking out of an ancient rock. Things got even more interesting when 10 years later their son broke the rock and found nothing more than a modern hammer inside.

This unexpected discovery attracted the attention of not only archaeology enthusiasts but also creationists. Carl Boe, a supporter of the Young Earth theory, argued that the rock around the hammer belongs to the Cretaceous period, which, according to his assumptions, meant that such a modern artifact could not have been found there, for example, 100 million years ago.

This discovery was a reason to clarify the theory of evolution, which he considered incorrect. The question of how a modern hammer could be in such an ancient formation was not answered, IFLScience writes.

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However, the answer to this mystery was found by geologist Glenn J. Cuban. He noted that the rock itself is not Ordovician, which means that the hammer did not get there during the Cretaceous period. Minerals in solution can harden around an object dropped into a fissure or left on the ground, resulting in the formation.

Although the find did not provide evidence for the existence of the Flintstones, it remains a fascinating example of how artifacts can find their way into ancient formations in a transient way.

We also offer you to learn about the painting that a British man accidentally found during a kitchen renovation.

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