9,000 Year Old Site Discovered Below Lake Huron

A potential stone hunting blind beneath
Lake Huron that is approximately 3.5 m across.
(Credit: Photo courtesy of John O'Shea/ScienceDaily.com)

Researchers from the University of Michigan will begin working on a new archaeological site that may help us understand more about how the Paleo Indian cultures of the Northeast transitioned into the early Archaic this summer. The site is located on what is 9,000 year land bridge complete with camps and caribou hunting structures. It is also located 100 feet under the waters of Lake Huron. While this underwater site will be problematic in many ways, it may reveal more information because of the underwater preservation.

"This is the first time we've identified structures like these on the lake bottom," said John O'Shea, curator of Great Lakes Archaeology in the Museum of Anthropology and professor in the Department of Anthropology. "Scientifically, it's important because the entire ancient landscape has been preserved and has not been modified by farming, or modern development. That has implications for ecology, archaeology and environmental modeling." - ScienceDaily.com

Journal Reference: Evidence for early hunters beneath the Great Lakes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 8, 2009

University of Michigan. "Archeological Evidence Of Human Activity Found Beneath Lake Huron." ScienceDaily 9 June 2009. 15 June 2009