Prehistoric mystery emerges off Texas after wood found buried 20 feet below seafloor

In a tale reminiscent of a Jules Verne novel, scientists have found evidence suggesting people once lived in an area that is now buried 20 feet below the Gulf of Mexico.

The discovery comes after wood turned up in core samples taken nine miles off Port Arthur, Texas.

That depth means the land was above water some 10,400 years ago, Dr. Amanda Evans, who led the expedition with funding from NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, told McClatchy News.

It’s a discovery that could make for stunning revelations, particularly if it’s determined the wood was part of a tool or some other human-made object.

“The brass ring is to find projectile points or stone tools, things that are indisputable proof of human activity: Things made by humans,” Evans said in a phone interview.

“I didn’t expect to find wood, because we are collecting 3-inch diameter core samples and wood can get easily pushed to the side. It’s exciting because of the size of the wood. It fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and could be a tool or some other man-made object. We just don’t know yet.”

The wood, which retained its “medium-brown color,” is one of several artifacts the June expedition found stuck in 40 core samples that went as deep as 30 feet into the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

A plan to preserve the wood is being established, Evans said, and then experts will begin a series of examinations. Archaeologists will offer opinions on whether it was used by humans; radio carbon dating will determine its age and scientists will identify the species of tree.

“It’s like waiting for Christmas,” Evans said.

The expedition, fully funded by NOAA, relied on new remote sensing technology that was collected in 2019 as part of the same project. The 40 core samples were taken between Port Arthur and Galveston, covering an area of seafloor that was between nine and 43 miles from the coast.

If the scientists found something unusual — like wood — they stopped and took extra samples at that spot, according to Evans, who is a researcher with heritage management firm Gray & Pape, Inc. In doing so, the team will be able to tell if unusual finds were an anomaly or part of something bigger, she said.

Seashells for rangia and oyster are examples. Both were seen sticking out of some core samples and they could be evidence of prehistoric human garbage, thrown into piles after meals, Evans said.

It will take months to fully explore the core samples. In the process, scientists will rake though the sediment on a microscopic level, looking for pollen, lipids and proteins. In doing so, they’ll identify plants, trees and animals.

Archaeologists call the people who roamed the area Paleoindians, Evans said in a report.

“This project is starting from a handful of puzzle pieces that tell us that people were living along the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and coastal Texas and Louisiana as early as 13,000 years ago,” Evans said.

“The shoreline, bays, and estuaries where people could have fished or collected food are now underwater. Sea level rise caused by the melting of the glaciers at the end of the last glacial period drowned the land that people lived on thousands of years ago.”

Evans says the expedition will give researchers a better understanding of coastal population density in the era, and how the population’s life changed due to rising sea levels.

Ten thousand years ago, what we know today as the United States would have been much larger along all three coasts, Evans says.

“Whoever was living here had to leave because of sea level rise. What happens when all these people suddenly move inland? What happens when these immigrants arrive?” Evans asks.

“Look at today, where 40 percent of the population lives within coastal areas that account for (only) 10 percent of the total land mass. What’s going to happen to these people? Where will they go?”

NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research says part of the goal of the mission is to “protect and manage areas of historic, cultural, economic and environmental importance to our nation.”

This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Prehistoric mystery emerges off Texas after wood found buried 20 feet below seafloor."