When looking for shipwrecks in the waters of Lake Michigan, archaeologists discovered something much more fascinating than they were given credit for: they discovered a rock with a prehistoric carving of a mastodon as well as a group of stones arranged similarly to Stonehenge.
Using sonar techniques to search for shipwrecks, archaeologists discovered sunken boats, cars, and even a Civil War-era pier at a depth of about 40 feet in Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay. However, among all of these discoveries, they discovered this prehistoric surprise, which a trained eye can guess by looking at the sonar scans photos in this article.
During a news conference in 2007 with images of the boulder on display, Mark Holley, a professor of underwater archaeology at Northwestern Michigan University College who made the discovery, said: “When you see it in the water, you’re tempted to say this is absolutely real.”
“However, we need the experts to visit and confirm that.
The marked boulder measures roughly 5 feet in length and 3.5 to 4 feet in height. A surface with numerous fissures is visible in photos.
The ones resembling what might be a petroglyph stood out, even though some might be natural and others seem to be human-made, according to Holley.
When taken as a whole, they, according to him, suggest the contours of a mastodon-like back, hump, head, trunk, tusk, triangular ear, and portions of legs.
According to Greg MacMaster, president of the underwater preserve council, “We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”
Before confirming the markings are an ancient petroglyph, experts who have seen pictures of the boulder containing the mastodon markings have requested more proof, according to Holley.
He stated, “They want to actually see it. Sadly, he continued, “Petroglyph experts typically don’t dive, so we’re running into a bit of a stumbling block there.”
If confirmed, the would-be petroglyph could date back as far as 10,000 years, which would put it in line with the presence of both humans and mastodons in the upper Midwest during the post-Ice Age.
The discovered underwater structure’s stones are arranged in organised circles and are thought to be at least 10,000 years old.
If the formation were real, it wouldn’t be totally out of the ordinary. There are stone circles and other petroglyph sites nearby.
The discovery was made a few years ago, and surprisingly, there isn’t much information online about it. However, I’ll be sure to update this post as soon as I can get my hands on more details.