You might not think that it would be useful to search of evidence of prehistoric cultures underwater, but there are multiple examples in the world of established cultures whose environments were inundated later, leaving much of the stuff of their culture to lie under a significant amount of water. Researchers in Michigan have discovered evidence of a Native American culture on the floor of Lake Huron, which separates Michigan from Ontario, Canada. In particular, under the water of the lake lies a formation called the Alpena-Amberley Ridge. More than 10,000 years ago, when water levels were lower, this ridge was above water, forming a land bridge between what are now Canada and the United States. This ridge would have been a migration route for caribou, and hence a good place to hunt.
Researchers have been collecting samples from the Alpena-Amberley Ridge to search for evidence of these Native Americans, and one of them found two objects that were clearly obsidian flakes, the sort of stone tools commonly used in hunting and processing the carcasses of hunted prey. It may surprise you that the obsidian used to make these flakes found at the bottom of a lake in Michigan was traced to Oregon, but it shouldn’t. In many archeological sites in America, materials from distant places have been found. Apparently, long-distance trade was not uncommon.
It will be interesting to learn what else is found in this environment.
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