While NASA is known for exploring our solar system and space in general, the space agency is also very thorough when it comes to planet Earth, as satellite images and observations from space have helped archaeologists around the globe to make groundbreaking discoveries. According to reports, NASA’s technology has helped pinpoint a 10,500-year-old lost ancient city, located beneath thick layers of the forest.
Now, the space agency has helped find the remains of a lost city believed to have been inhabited by ancient Native Americans.
An archaeological team led by the University of Oklahoma excavates the 10,500-year-old bison kill site
With the help of laser-based “remote-sensing equipment,” scientists were able to zoom onto the ancient site located in Oklahoma, finding what they believe is a 10,500-year-old settlement hidden deep beneath the forest.
Experts believe that this ancient city was inhabited by hunter-gatherers who lived in the area and funneled bison into narrow dead-end gullies before hunting them down.
The ruins of the ancient city were found in the vicinity of the Beaver River in western Oklahoma thanks to LIDAR technology.
Called Teledyne Optech Lidar, the device is able to recreate a 3-D model of the surface including grass, bushes, and trees, but it also has the ability to create a ‘bare-earth’ version, removing obstacles and offering scientists with a clear view of the surface.
Consequently, this allows scientists to ‘see structures or features that were so overgrown that they wouldn’t be obvious at all to someone on the ground,’ says Paul LaRoque, vice president of special projects at Teledyne Optech.
According to reports, this groundbreaking laser-based remote sensing equipment has allowed experts to peer through thick layers of forest offering a clear view of the fossils and bones hidden below the surface.
This technology has been made possible thanks to the development of the equipment used by scientists looking at alien planets, moons, and asteroids. NASA has been incorporating LIDAR devices into missions dating as far back as the Apollo Program.
Archaeologist Lee Bement said that NASA’s sophisticated tools have “been useful in delineating where we need to concentrate our efforts.” “It saved us a lot of time and effort.”
“You’ll never find bison bones with airborne LIDAR, but you can find the geological features that suggest a place to look,” said Meg Watters, a remote sensing expert.
Interestingly, LIDAR technology has helped make several groundbreaking discoveries in the recent past. The technology has helped archaeologists pinpoint the historical site of the legendary lost ‘White City –Ciudad Blanca’ in Honduras.