The cited public reports do not establish an exact age of 10,000 years for the Pacific mastodon tooth found in San Mateo County, California. That figure should not be read as a completed, precise dating result.
Midpen's September 9 announcement says the tooth was donated to Stanford University and that researchers plan to use carbon dating to determine its age. ABC News describes it as at least 10,000 years old and also reports that dating is planned.
Identifying the specimen as a mastodon molar and establishing its age are different findings. ABC's account draws on the same announcement, so it is not an independent dating result. The exact-age claim remains unverified pending published analysis.
The fossil's identification has been reported, but an exact age of 10,000 years has not been established by the cited evidence.
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
Midpen reports the fossil's donation to Stanford and says carbon dating is planned. It does not publish a measured age for the specimen.
Based on: Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
ABC News
ABC describes the fossil as at least 10,000 years old and reports planned dating. Its account relies on Midpen's announcement rather than an independent laboratory result.
Based on: ABC News
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