In the wake of Hurricane Nicole and Hurricane Ian, a mysterious structure appeared off the coast of Daytona Beach in Volusia County, Florida. No one is quite sure what it is yet, but the local community has lots of interesting ideas, from a shipwreck to the ruins of a long lost NASCAR racetrack.
The odd wooden structure was first seen by beach-goers on Thanksgiving weekend, Volusia County spokesman Kevin A Captain told CBS News. The visible part of the wreckage, which consists of strange pieces of wood and some metal from the sand, is between 24 meters and 30 meters.
This strange structure came into existence as a result of beach erosion created by the hurricane duo that recently rocked Florida. Severe Category 4 storm Hurricane Ian hit the region in late September and Category 1 Hurricane Nicole a few weeks later in early November. While Hurricane Nicole was milder than Ian, it was particularly severe in Volusia County, where this coastline is located.
Along with the wider damage in the area, the beach has suffered significant erosion caused by strong winds, heavy rain and waves.
Tammy Malphurs, Volusia Deputy Chief of the Coast Guard, said in an interview with local media station News 6, “This erosion is unprecedented right now. We haven’t seen this kind of erosion in a very long time. “I’ve been on the beach for probably 25 years and it’s the first time I’ve seen it stay this open,” he said.
Images of the area were sent to Florida state archaeologists, and they went to the beach on Tuesday, Dec. 6, to begin an extensive search.
Until this study is complete, it looks like the local community will continue to produce their own estimates. Estimates include different views of this, such as the remains of a sea barrier, a shipwreck, or part of an old wharf, The New York Times reported. Some even considered the possibility of seating leftovers from beach NASCAR races.
Although weather events are often seen as a destructive force, they can sometimes bring a new look to the past. In 2018, the typically humid air of the UK was cut for a while, scorched by the hot summer sun for several months. The strikingly dry air turned the fields from green to yellow, and with it, revealed traces of where the lost structures once stood. These tracks included prehistoric settlements, burial mounds, and farms from the Iron Age, Bronze Age, and Roman times.
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