A 9,000-year-old caribou hunting structure beneath Lake Huron

Abstract

Significance Some of the most pivotal questions in human history necessitate the investigation of archaeological sites that are now under water. These contexts have unique potentials for preserving ancient sites without disturbance from later human occupation. The Alpena-Amberley Ridge beneath modern Lake Huron in the Great Lakes offers unique evidence of prehistoric caribou hunters for a time period that is very poorly known on land. The newly discovered Drop 45 Drive Lane and associated artifacts presented here provide unprecedented insight into the social and seasonal organization of early peoples in the Great Lakes region, while the interdisciplinary research program provides a model for the archaeological investigation of submerged prehistoric landscapes.

The next frontiers in research on submerged prehistoric sites and landscapes on the continental shelf

“…In Damariscotta River, Maine, Leach et al (2007) successfully developed a method for characterizing relict beds of oyster and inferring probable location of inundated shell midden sites, using shallow marine geophysics, vibracoring and comparative archaeological data from excavated terrestrial middens. In Lake Huron, a research strategy based on remote sensing, ROV and diver ground-truthing operations combined with computer simulation has been successfully applied to provide archaeological and paleoenvironmental evidence of complex terrestrial hunting structures (O'Shea et al, 2014;O'Shea and Meadows, 2009). The finds made at these sites include submerged 9,000-yearold caribou stone drive lanes and associated artefacts.…”

Using Sector-Scan Sonar for the Survey and Management of Submerged Archaeological Sites

“…As the sonar head rotates it produces Figure 11. A 9000-year-old caribou-hunting structure on the bottom of Lake Huron in the North American Great Lakes, USA; a) plan based on the sector scan with black dots representing the location of placed stones (O'Shea et al, 2014); b) sector scan: the light-coloured areas are stones that produce a strong acoustic signature; dark areas are acoustic shadows (Authors). are used to geo-reference scans either instantaneously or during data playback.…”

“…Instruments such as scanning sonar will have an important role in future prospection and recording of submerged landscapes. In 2014 the sector scanner was used to record the remains of a 9000-year-old caribou-hunting structure 37m beneath the surface of Lake Huron in the North American Great Lakes (O'Shea et al, 2014). The 50m-radius acoustic scan (Fig.…”

Colonization of the Beaver Island Archipelago by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis): mtDNA evidence for multiple origins

“…Finally, humans could have accidentally transported mice to the islands. Evidence for human use of the area dates to about 12 000 YBP (Cleland 1982;O'Shea et al 2014), but becomes more common about 2000-1500 YBP, by which time people were actively fishing from encampments on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan (Mason 1966;Cleland 1982). There were at least transient human settlements on Beaver Island in the pre-contact era, approximately 1300-600 YBP (Fitting 1973), so humans certainly could have facilitated mouse colonization in the time period of interest.…”