Comments on: Lake Michigan Stonehenge

Lake Michigan Stonehenge

jon_hansen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:42:04 -0800

A year and a half ago, a professor of underwater archeology at Northwestern Michigan University discovered a pattern of stones 40 feet below the waters of Lake Michigan. The story has been surprisingly under-reported, given that the Stonehenge-like structure is potentially estimated to be 10,000 years old. One of the stones even appears to have a mastodon carved on it.

By: craichead

craichead — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:46:48 -0800

Hmm. It "appears to have a mastodon carved in it," I guess, but some grilled cheese sandwiches appear to have pictures of the Virgin Mary on them. I see pretty pictures in cloud formations all the time, but that doesn't mean someone put them there.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:48:24 -0800

Don't underestimate cavemen! If movies have taught me anything, it is that they built the pyramids.

By: billysumday

billysumday — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:52:27 -0800

What's even more amazing is that Dirk Dorfman, professor of cryptozoology at NMU, also recently discovered evidence of a dinosaur-like sea-creature or "monster" swimming just off shore in Lake Michigan! Man, those professors at NMU really know how to discover things that conveniently help propel their careers!

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:56:34 -0800

Yeah, like the Earth is 10,000 years old.

By: JohnR

JohnR — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:56:35 -0800

The key words here are that they were "standing stones". That can't be confirmed from these pics, but thats the only thing that would make me suspect that their theory is correct.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:02:46 -0800

Whatever the answer might be, the very suggestion is interesting enough to think about – where underwater archaeology, prehistoric remains, and lost shipwrecks collide to form a midwestern mystery: National Treasure 3 or Da Vinci Code 2. Even Ghostbusters: The Return. I was thinking more Weekend At Bernies III: Clovis-a-go-go

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:06:59 -0800

Where's Aquaman? This is actually pretty cool, all sniping aside. Can't see it becoming a tourist attraction though. We are talking about Michigan here.

By: Dr-Baa

Dr-Baa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:08:00 -0800

Actually, it's Northwestern Michigan College. We have a university center, though.

By: FormlessOne

FormlessOne — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:09:52 -0800

Underreported by whom? A quick Google search shows dozens of hits regarding Dr. Holley's purported mastodon carving.

By: Brodiggitty

Brodiggitty — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:12:11 -0800

I bet Sufjan Stevens is recording a new single about this.

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:16:30 -0800

"One of the stones even appears to have a mastodon carved on it. " That's a bit of a stretch, but if you see the mammoth in the rock, go outside and look at the clouds: they'll blow your mind, maaan.

By: JohnR

JohnR — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:19:29 -0800

Check out the PDF on the first link. The mastodon is more convincing in photos there.

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:22:30 -0800

Sonar images are cool.

By: bottlebrushtree

bottlebrushtree — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:28:37 -0800

petraglyphs or it didn't happen

By: furtive

furtive — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:29:00 -0800

There are some more cool photos in the pdf document and I agree with JohnR, it seems a bit more like a carving from the pdf photos.

By: Sova

Sova — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:47:10 -0800

the Stonehenge-like structure is potentially estimated to be 10,000 years old Hmmm, a little oversold, no? I mean Stonehenge looks like this, and the boulder on page 21 of this PDF is just a teensy little bit smaller...(scientist in drysuit for reference purposes only). The original said 'Stonehenge-like circle', which yes, may be reasonable as to their general stoney-circley-ness, but not really in any other way. I assume the date estimate is derived from when the area flooded? That would make it very old indeed, and I'm incredulous for that reason. Glacial desposits are more likely, though I'm sure they had a geologist take a look before claming it to be humanmade...

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:55:44 -0800

None of this changes the fact that one can be a professor of underwater archeology, which is cooler than fuck.

By: Science!

Science! — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:15:30 -0800

Other stuff found underwater that is awesome and the scientist says is natural, but it sure looks man made.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:29:45 -0800

a professor of underwater archeology at Northwestern Michigan University discovered a pattern of stones 40 feet below the waters of Lake Michigan. I smell tenure!

By: Kid Charlemagne

Kid Charlemagne — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:53:00 -0800

I used to do this thing in school where I'd pour over a long ribbon on monochrometer data looking for patterns of peaks. They would fall off in a fairly regular pattern and have a characteristic spacing that went x, x+n, x+2n, x+3n, and so on. Of course the thing is, they were mixed in with roughly a million other little peaks so you'd often find yourself staring at a zigzag line like you were looking for patterns in the clouds. At the time I was warned that I'd catch myself "finding" these things in data that had nothing to do with this sort of apparatus/phenomenon I was working with and feel like an idiot. And this did come to pass. I'm beginning to suspect that underwater archeology and physical chemistry have a lot in common.

By: justkevin

justkevin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:08:04 -0800

I don't see anything like a mastodon in there. Even the red line drawing of a mastodon they added barely looks like a mastodon.

By: Lizc

Lizc — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:18:08 -0800

That mastodon in the picture without the fanciful red guiding line looks more like an angry face than anything else.

By: zippy

zippy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:28:02 -0800

That's nothing. Look at what they found in Lake Mendota.

By: Parasite Unseen

Parasite Unseen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:46:49 -0800

I mean Stonehenge looks like this, and the boulder on page 21 of this PDF is just a teensy little bit smaller I hear that Spinal Tap had the same problem. Maybe one of the designers wrote "inches" where he meant to write "feet"?

By: moonmilk

moonmilk — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:50:17 -0800

one can be a professor of underwater archeology, which is cooler than fuck I agree! I came here from the baby elephant post, via a link that looks like this: « Older A year and a half ago, a professor of underwater a... Before I clicked, I was thinking "underwater astronomy? underwater art history?"

By: agregoli

agregoli — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:01:19 -0800

Amazing - I live in Chicago and yet hadn't heard about this yet. Thanks for the great post!

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:02:01 -0800

I don't understand why everyone seems to think this is so unlikely.

By: edd

edd — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:14:46 -0800

It's not clearer in the PDF. If anything I see a rather mutated cetacean in that one, not a mastodon. It's pareidolia.

By: parallax7d

parallax7d — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:16:27 -0800

Hermitosis, because the provided evidence is far from absolute.

By: gwint

gwint — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:16:50 -0800

OH. MY. GOD.

By: flipyourwig

flipyourwig — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:21:53 -0800

The other sonar scans with the boat, buggy, junk pile and stuff is pretty cool.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:53:59 -0800

Dirk Dorfman is my new porn name.

By: washburn

washburn — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:06:38 -0800

Hmm. A mastadon? I don't even see a circle of stones. But who knows? Maybe the Wisconsin Atlanteans wanted to keep their stone circles secret.

By: Aquaman

Aquaman — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:13:06 -0800

Where's Aquaman? *blinks, rubs eyes* Huh? Wha happen?

By: ltracey

ltracey — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:16:28 -0800

I read the first sentence as "..professor of underwear archaeology..." which seemed like a pretty cool job, too.

By: bluesky43

bluesky43 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:56:51 -0800

After looking at the photographs (nicely framed in circular), I am reminded of the man in the moon.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:57:49 -0800

You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

By: eritain

eritain — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:03:19 -0800

What washburn said. Where is this purported circle of stones supposed to be? A circle with more than three points on it, please?

By: dhartung

dhartung — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:35:06 -0800

I read the first sentence as "..professor of underwear archaeology..." which seemed like a pretty cool job, too. Well, sure. You get to see Paris, you get to see France.

By: CCBC

CCBC — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:54:29 -0800

Hey! Me, too! I studied those damn photo-sonar things (could be crappy CGI for all I know) for hours (well, many long minutes anyway) and couldn't find any circles. This is BS that will be cited by von Daniken freaks and accompanying weirdos for years. "Scientists found megalithic circles under Lake Michigan but now the government is covering it up because they want to pretend Atlantis never existed!"

By: Artw

Artw — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:14:18 -0800

Those aren't stones... they're fingertips.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:14:06 -0800

The lost city of the Ziox! Underwater Art History