Dr. Ervan Garrison, of the University of Georgia, in 2020-2024, undertook a study of submerged prehistoric archaeological sites drowned after the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The sites were on the Atlantic Ocean’s Continental Shelf of the Georgia Bight. Such sites are difficult to discover and study but are extremely relevant to understanding human entry adaptations in the Americas. Dr. Garrison’s research developed a new method of underwater survey designed to overcome many of the costs and difficulties currently associated with underwater archaeological exploration. The study exploited existing erosional features created around wrecks or artificial reefs. These exposures are compelling targets for archaeological testing because excavation has already been done by natural forces such as tidal currents. This successful study of scour nuclei offers us the ability to advance our understanding of the now drowned southeastern coastal plain along the Atlantic.
