Buzz
Nature's raw forces sometimes reveal extraordinary treasures hidden beneath the sand or ocean, or even right on the surface. Intense storms can expose these valuable relics in an instant, often unearthing rare, strange, or historically significant items, which can save time and resources for archaeologists and fossil hunters alike.
10. World War II Lard
For years, lard from a World War II shipwreck has been spotted on the shores of St. Cyrus, Scotland, following heavy storms. Recently, four pieces washed ashore, still maintaining the barrel-like shapes of their original wooden containers.
These unusual wartime remnants began to surface during World War II after a merchant ship was bombed and sank in the vicinity. It's believed that the wreckage slowly disintegrates with every storm, gradually releasing more of its greasy cargo.
The locals are well acquainted with the sight and say the fat is still usable, even though it's covered in barnacles. These hefty lumps were a lifesaver during the war when lard was hard to come by for most people.
9. Baile Sear
In 2005, a powerful storm struck Scotland. While it tragically claimed the lives of five members of the same family on Benbecula, it also revealed ancient ruins that had been buried for 2,000 years. The locals had always known something old lay along the shores of Baile Sear, but the thick cobbles and sand made it impossible to identify.
Following the storm, people were amazed to find the structures still standing on the beach. Concerned that the mysterious ruins might be destroyed by another storm, archaeologists rushed in to investigate. They identified the site as two roundhouses from the Iron Age.
8. Alabama Shipwreck
Unveiled gradually by the passing of three different hurricanes, the hull of a ship from Alabama was finally exposed when Hurricane Isaac swept the coast. With its skeletal remains and exposed ribs, the wreck doesn’t look like much anymore.
Yet, there are two puzzling questions surrounding the decaying ship. The first is its identity. Local historians think it might be a World War I schooner called the Rachel, while others suggest it could be an earlier, unidentified vessel from before the Civil War.
If it is indeed the Rachel, then a second mystery arises. What was its cargo? Originally designed to transport lumber, the ship sailed during the Prohibition era.
Built during the war, the three-masted, 45-meter (150 ft) long wooden ship was wrecked in a storm in 1923. After unloading its cargo (rumored to be illegal booze), her crew set her ablaze onshore.
7. The Connacht Storms
In 2014, storms ravaged the Irish coastline of Connacht, resulting in an archaeological disaster with a silver lining. While many precious historical artifacts were damaged or lost, others were uncovered. Two graveyards associated with a medieval monastery discovered in the 1990s emerged from the ground. Additional finds included submerged homes from the 18th and 19th centuries and a 6,000-year-old Neolithic bog.
However, nature’s wrath also took its toll. Middens, which are ancient kitchen refuse heaps providing valuable insight into the diets and lifestyles of our ancestors, were destroyed. All coastal midden deposits from Galway Bay to Dog’s Bay vanished, including the oldest site dating back to the late Mesolithic period.
6. World War II Bombs
In 2014, a series of unusually powerful storms in the UK caused the Thames to flood. Along with the rising waters, a disturbing scene was uncovered when tides and winds exposed the location of 244 World War II bombs. Many of them were still live, and they were found scattered on the one place where travel guides encourage fun—the beach.
Some of the bombs were German, while others came from British military training. After being buried for years, the bombs started emerging around mid-December when the weather grew increasingly wild. Nearly every day, the Royal Navy’s Southern Dive Unit received phone calls notifying them of another bomb discovery.
The unit carefully disposed of the shells, but there may still be many more lurking beneath the sand. The previous year, another 108 were removed from British beaches to ensure public safety. The truly unsettling part is that the longer these literal time bombs remain buried, the more unstable they become.
5. Mystery Mill
A piece of South Carolina’s forgotten history was revealed after floods ravaged Richland County. State archaeologists rushed to investigate the exposed timber beams and steel nails once the waters receded. This discovery is thrilling, as it marks the first substantial clues to surface at a well-known archaeological site.
Before the centuries-old wood was uncovered, the creek was believed to be the site of Garner’s Mill. However, the mill remains a mysterious chapter in the county’s past. Experts are unsure about what it produced, and the early 18th-century community associated with it also remains shrouded in mystery.
The 1-ton beams were revealed after fierce flooding pushed them out of their hiding place beneath the soil. As for their function, they might have been part of a plank road, possibly leading to Winnsboro or a now-lost bridge.
4. Valuable Ichthyosaur
Christmas in Dorset brought a rare treat for fossil hunters. The bones of an ichthyosaur, uncovered during a coastal storm in 2014, proved to be remarkable. Depending on your perspective, the ichthyosaur can either seem charming or terrifying.
Measuring 1.5 meters (5 ft) long, this creature resembled a dolphin but was actually a predatory marine reptile. Complete skeletons of this species are rare, making this discovery a remarkable moment when it became clear that only a small part of its snout was missing.
However, professional fossil hunters quickly realized that the ichthyosaur was in danger of being lost, as another powerful storm was on its way. Fossils must be carefully excavated over days or even weeks, so the eight-hour process was almost like performing emergency surgery. Just before the storm hit, the 200-million-year-old predator was successfully relocated to safety.
3. The Tree Teenager
After a coastal storm knocked over a 215-year-old tree in Ireland, its roots were entangled with the skeleton of a murdered medieval teenager. By pure coincidence, someone had planted the beech tree over the grave around 1800, and it grew down into the young man’s remains. When the tree fell, its roots ripped off the top half of the body and lifted it from the grave, leaving the rest behind.
The bones reveal a fascinating tale. The teenager, aged between 17 and 20, had access to good food, suggesting he came from an upper-class background. However, he suffered from spinal disease, likely due to physical labor from a young age.
He tried, but failed, to defend himself against a violent death. Two knife-like nicks on his ribs indicate stabs. The most convincing evidence of the fatal injury is a distinct stab wound to his left hand, as though he had attempted to block the blow.
2. Underwater Forest
Not far from the coast of Alabama lies a true time capsule. Beneath oxygen-deprived sea sediments, an ancient forest has been preserved for 50,000 years. When Hurricane Katrina shifted the sands, it revealed the stumps of a vast bald cypress forest.
The remains are astonishing in size and preservation, with the scent of fresh cypress sap still detectable when the trunks are cut. Some of these trunks are 2 meters (7 ft) wide and contain growth rings that span thousands of years. This is invaluable data for researchers, offering a detailed weather history of the Gulf of Mexico.
The wildlife that inhabits the submerged forest has evolved differently from its original state. Fish, crustaceans, and sea anemones now thrive here. However, experts worry that the pristine condition of the trees may not last for long, as marine life is gradually eroding the wood with its burrowing activities, turning the forest into an artificial reef.
1. The Galway Finds
After powerful storms ravaged the Irish coast of Galway, a haunting relic of the past emerged. About 7,500 years ago, rising waters caused the demise of a large forest of oak, pine, and birch trees. The storm uncovered the petrified stumps of these trees, some of which had lived nearly a century before their untimely death.
In addition, a vast layer of peat—formerly organic matter from the forest floor—was exposed. A local resident discovered a wooden artifact, measuring around 1.5 meters (5 ft) by 1 meter (3 ft), buried beneath the peat.
Upon examination, it was determined that the object was an oak trackway dating back as far as 4,500 years. This discovery provides tantalizing evidence that Neolithic or Bronze Age people inhabited the forest long before Galway Bay was even formed. It might even predate the Corlea trackway, an Iron Age structure considered the largest of its kind ever found in Europe.
