Underneath the surface of the northeast part of Lake Michigan lies a long-hidden mystery.
Researchers conducting a routine sonar scan of Grand Traverse Bay discovered a series of stone structures, in varying sizes, approximately 40 feet beneath the surface.
A professor at Northwestern Michigan University, Dr. Mark Holley, is credited with the discovery.
The structures have been given the moniker “Michigan’s Stonehenge,” and the exact location of the stones is kept hidden to preserve the site.
Technically, the site does not meet the definition of a henge, which is “a prehistoric monument consisting of a circle of stone or wooden uprights.” Yet, the moniker remains.
One of the more intriguing stones features a carved image of a mastodon. According to fossil records, mastodons inhabited Michigan during the late Pleistocene epoch, approximately 12,000 years ago.
The carving captures that period in history when humans and mastodons coexisted in the same space.
On Holley’s website, you can even watch a video exploring the site.
PHOTO CREDIT: A Traverse Bay 728x400A sonar scan of the Grand Traverse Bay Stones. (Holley Archaeology)
