“The sites under the lake offer a real potential to tell us about this time period that we can’t find out about any other way.”

O’Shea added that the animals and artifacts found at the few hunting sites in northern forests have been mostly destroyed by the acid in soil, while the water from the lake preserves organic material.

“All kinds of things that you wouldn’t be able to find on a terrestrial site you have the potential to find them in the lake,” he said. “It’s almost like a Pompeii, but with water instead of lava.”