Exploring Lake Michigan's 10,000-Year-Old "Stonehenge": Journey Into the Past

Content:

1. Who found Lake Michigan Stonehenge? 2. Pattern and Material of Stone? 3. Why is it called Stonehenge? 4. What are the carvings on the stone? 5. What is mysterious about this site? 6. What is its purpose who built it? 7. Wrap 8. Support Message

Who would've thought that Lake Michigan was once a land that had ancient humans as guests who left their marks for us to trace? Let's dive into this deeply.

History has always been a fascinating subject for human beings. We are always curious to learn about our past and the events that have shaped our world. Ancient history, in particular, is filled with mysteries and wonders that continue to captivate us to this day. One such wonder is the discovery of a 10,000-year-old Stonehenge-like structure in Lake Michigan.

When & by whom was Michigan Stonehenge found?

The ancient site was discovered by chance in 2007 by a team of underwater archaeologists led by Mark Holley, a professor of underwater archaeology at Northwestern Michigan College. Mark Holley is an accomplished underwater archaeologist who has spent more than 20 years exploring the Great Lakes region. He has conducted extensive research on shipwrecks and other underwater archaeological sites. Holley and his team were conducting a routine survey of the lake bed when they stumbled upon a series of large stones arranged in a circular pattern. The discovery was made at a depth of about 40 feet, just off the coast of Traverse City, Michigan.

According to Holley, the discovery of the ancient structure was completely unexpected. He and his team were conducting a routine survey of the lake bed, looking for shipwrecks and other underwater artifacts, when they stumbled upon the stones. The discovery took them completely by surprise, and they were initially unsure of what they had found.

Pattern & Material of stones:

Investigation revealed that the stones were arranged in a circular pattern, with some weighing as much as 9,000 pounds. The circular pattern formed by the stones at the ancient site is about 40 feet in diameter, with an inner circle of stones that is about 20 feet in diameter. The stones are arranged in a manner that suggests they were intentionally placed there by human beings, rather than by natural means. The stones at Lake Michigan's ancient site are made of granite that is found locally in the area. The stones have been dated to around 10,000 years ago, making them some of the oldest structures ever discovered in North America.

*you can see pictures here* cannot upload pictures due to copyright issues.

Why is this called Lake Michigan's Stonehenge?

The stones at Lake Michigan's ancient site are a bit similar in size and shape to the stones that make up the famous Stonehenge monument in England. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument that consists of a ring of standing stones, each weighing around 25 tons, that were erected between 3000 BC and 2000 BC. Like the stones at the Lake Michigan site, the stones at Stonehenge were also arranged in a circular pattern. Although stones at the Michigan site are relatively smaller than those of Stonehenge but the resemblance is there.

What are the carvings on stones?

Carvings and engravings have been found on some of the stones at the Lake Michigan site these carvings include images of mastodons. Mastodons are an extinct group of proboscidean mammals that were closely related to elephants but had a different physical appearance. They lived during the Pleistocene epoch, which lasted from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. They are thought to have roamed across North America, feeding on a wide variety of plants and vegetation. Mastodons went extinct towards the end of the Pleistocene epoch. The carvings suggest that the ancient people who built the site had some knowledge of these animals and possibly even hunted them.

What is mysterious about this site?

One of the most fascinating aspects of this ancient site is the mystery surrounding how the stones got there in the first place. The discovery of mastodon bones in the same area as the stones suggests that the stones could have been transported by humans who were hunting these animals. However, the fact that the stones are located 40 feet below the surface of Lake Michigan raises further questions about how they ended up there. Archaeologists speculate that the stones were originally placed on the shoreline and were then covered by rising water levels as glaciers melted after the last ice age and the Great Lakes were formed. This discovery suggests that early humans may have been more sophisticated than previously thought. This site at Lake Michigan is older than the famous Stonehenge in England, which is believed to be around 5,000 years old.

*you can read about a similar site found in Turkey Gopekli Tepe here*

What is its purpose? Who built it?

Several archaeologists and researchers have been studying this ancient site, including Mark Holley and Brian Abbot from Northwestern Michigan College, John O'Shea from the University of Michigan, and Greg McMaster from McMaster Geological. According to John O'Shea, the discovery of this site challenges the conventional belief that early humans in North America were not capable of creating such sophisticated structures. O'Shea and his team have been conducting underwater excavations and mapping the site to better understand its origins and purpose. The identity of the builders and the purpose of the structure remain a mystery. However, some experts speculate that it could have been a ceremonial site used by early hunter-gatherer societies or this was built to keep away other animals from reaching their side.

Wrap:

The discovery of the ancient Stonehenge-like structure at the bottom of Lake Michigan is a fascinating glimpse into the past that raises more questions than answers. Who built it, and why did they place the stones in that manner? How did the stones end up submerged in the lake? The search for answers continues, and new discoveries may shed light on this mysterious structure. In the meantime, the discovery of Lake Michigan Stonehenge invites us to reconsider our understanding of early human societies and their capabilities. It also invites us to contemplate the wonder and mystery of our planet's past and the fascinating secrets that lie beneath the surface.

*Read more stories on the topics like 'Mariana Trench', 'Titanic' or 'Lost City of Atlantis' that would increase your learning*

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