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Archaeologists have discovered one of the most elaborate prehistoric stone structures in the Great Lakes region, lying beneath more than 120 feet of Lake Huron water. 

According to researchers, the discovery offers insight into the advanced nature of hunting techniques of prehistoric people in the Great Lakes region. 

The main portion of the 9,000-year-old structure is being called Drop 45 Drive Lane which features a walled stone lane leading into a cobblestone cul-de-sac-like structure. Nearby are the hunting blinds which according to researchers, were used by Paleo-Indian as hiding places. 

"It is noteworthy that V-shaped hunting blinds located upslope from Drop 45 are oriented to intercept animals moving to the southeast in the autumn," explained John O'Shea, an archaeologist at the University of Michigan and lead author of the new study detailing the remarkable underwater discovery, in the press release.

"This concentration of differing types of hunting structures associated with alternative seasons of migration is consistent with caribou herd movement simulation data," O'Shea said, "indicating that the area was a convergence point along different migration routes, where the landform tended to compress the animals in both the spring and autumn."

Researchers added that the discovery offered a more accurate picture of the size and organization of Paleo-Indian groups and how they managed on extensive hunts. 

"The larger size and multiple parts of the complex drive lanes would have necessitated a larger cooperating group of individuals involved in the hunt," he added in the press release. "The smaller V-shaped hunting blinds could be operated by very small family groups relying on the natural shape of the landform to channel caribou towards them."

The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.