Lake Michigan Stonehenge

[liz_marcs]

Okay, now this is so cool.

Underwater archeologists from Northwestern Michigan University stumbled across a Stonehenge-like structure 40-feet underwater in Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay while they were sniffing out old boatwrecks using something called a "sector scan sonar" device.

Oh, and one of the rocks? Has a carved picture of a mastadon on it, which potentially dates the site as being 10,000 years-old, or right after the last glacial ice age. They still have to authenticate that they're seeing what they're actually seeing, but apparently Michigan has its share of ancient artifacts.

So, while the find is surprising due to its location, no one will die of shock if it turns out to be real.

Here's a nifty sonar photo of the site that I snurched off the Intrawebs:



You gotta admit that looks coooooool.

More about the Lake Michigan find from MetaFilter.

More detailed information from the NowPowered site.

Bldgblog has more details, more links, and more pictures than any other site.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle 2007 article when the discover was first announced.

Comments

[daniidebrabant.livejournal.com]

...that is pretty damn cool. *finger flails*

[lynnenne]

That is indeed very cool!

[married-n-mich.livejournal.com]

So maybe Michigan doesn't suck as bad as I thought it has lately!

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

Ooooh that is cool.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

I love Lake Michigan. They'd better take good care of her when they investigate this!

[kajivar]

I saw that yesterday but haven't had a chance to post on it. So. Cool!

[herewiss13.livejournal.com]

I hadn't realized there were north american depictions of mastadon and other ice-age fauna. This is definitely way cool.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Isn't that fascinating?

Although it looks like an orange with bits stuck in it... maybe it's really an ancient Christingle!

[itsabigrock.livejournal.com]

Very cool! My people are from Michigan (I mean, just in the last 200 years or so) but they will find this most interesting.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

Cool.

Y'know, they get a lot of UFO sightings up there. I miss the Weekly World News when something like this happens.

[4thdixiechick.livejournal.com]

that is cool!
I'm dying to know who carved the picture of the mastadon...

[unfeathered]

Wow. That's amazing! And those pictures look so beautiful!

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

Just when you think there's nothing cool left to discover.

[chinookami.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking that.
Thanks for sharing this, that's AWESOME

[doingsoso.livejournal.com]

I saw a blurb somewhere about this yesterday and didn't post it cause I got distracted by Supreme Court ruling BS. This is just neat as hell to me, Hehe. Mastadons no less. I love it! Now I'm off to run down some more articles, thanks for reminding me:)

[rainkatt.livejournal.com]

That is very cool.