When trying to decide what to write about, I came across an article that mentioned that there was a structure like Stonehenge recently discovered in Lake Michigan. Structures much like Stonehenge are common, especially in the United Kingdom, so it was interesting to find that there was something similar even closer to home, and underwater none the less. Mark Holly, a professor of underwater archaeology at Northwestern Michigan University , discovered the site in 2007. The archaeologist was hired to survey the floor of the lake close by to Traverse City using sonar to examine old boat wrecks. They found cars, boats, and a pier from the Civil War era but even more surprising was the underwater structure.

The stones are organized in a circle 40 below the surface of Lake Michigan and is believed to be at least 10,000 years old. One stone in the outer circle, although still up for debate, appears to have a carving of a mastodon, an animal that closely resembles an elephant that went extinct over 10,000 years ago.

Of course, the logical question is how did the stones end up under one of the largest lakes in the world? The only explanation I could find was that local could have created the structure during the last Ice Age when the lake bed was dry.

The problem is that many specialists want to see the structure themselves to determine its authentically, only most of the experts do not dive so they have reached a problem. Many people question whether the rocks were purposely placed or a random occurrence. Other stone circles have been found in the area so it would not be an unreasonable discovery. There have been few new updates on the status of the stones so it has yet to be determined.

After seeing the stone circle under Lake Michigan, I was curious what other Stonehenge-like structures were located in the area. Beaver Island located in northern Lake Michigan is home of another stone circle. It consists of a group of stones circularly located around a large central stone that contains unusual carvings. The carvings have not been carbon dated or tested to see the time period they come from and little is known about the structure itself. The significance of the circle is still being debated by archaeologist and historians although local Native Americans recall stories of a gathering place in the island where a stone calendar was located. Some people see the circle as a random glacial deposit with no historical significance.

Sources:

http://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/stonehenge-under-lake-michigan-3125445/

http://www.repositorybeaverislandstonecircle.com/

http://www.beaverisland.net/Projects/The_Stone_Circle/the_stone_circle.htm