Prehistoric Lake Huron Caribou Crossing
A prehistoric caribou trap has been discovered underneath the waters of Lake Huron.
Caribou-hunting drive lanes have been identified below the surface of Lake Huron. Rocks strategically placed to form a V-shape over several hundred metres corral the animals, so they can be easily killed. New research by Dr. Lisa Sonnenburg, a Canadian geo-archaeologist at the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology at the University of Michigan, has determined the structures were made about 9,000 years ago when Lake Huron was divided by a ridge of land, extending from northern Michigan to southern Ontario. The drive lanes were constructed by Late Paleo-Indian or early Archaic caribou hunters, who operated the sites cooperatively in family or larger groups.
Related Links
- Paper in PNAS
- University of Michigan release
- CBC News story
- LiveScience story
- Dr. Sonnenburg previously on Quirks & Quarks