Archaeologica.org

Cheers, Rich. So the Amazon's different flow direction had nothing to do with man's discovery of the land. They were a hundred million years apart.

OK, something else then:
afaik south America 'collided' with meso- and north America about 3/4 million years ago, establishing the Panama isthmus we know now. However, in the beginning of that 'collision' – I'm guessing the process took hundreds of thousands of years, minimum – the isthmus may have looked radically different from today. In fact I'm betting it did. Which may have steered H.Erectus – whom Imo was the global traveller and settler – to go south-east, instead of south-west.
Anybody know more about the 'collision' of south and north America?

RS - not sure but this may have had a bearing on it. From a link on the Archaeologica page:

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_ ... 445C485186

Paris - A dinosaur bone discovered in Australia has defied prevailing wisdom about how the world's continents separated from a super-continent millions of years ago, a new study published on Tuesday said.

And further down in it:

They speculate that land bridges must have persisted between southern South America and the Western Antarctic Archipelago "until at least the Late Eocene," a period that began some 40 million years ago.

Not sure if that is related to it or not though - seems way earlier than the one you're talking about. Gotta be something else on it somewhere.

When is the last time there was a dig in South Georgia Island?

Once again, even if someone were to dig there, where was the ancient coastline? The rise in sea level had to have an impact on the island which means that you can only reasonably expect to find stone tools that have been submerged for 10,000 years. Given the costs, would this really be a worthwhile investment for anyone?

It was really a kind of rhetorical question Min.
South Georgia Island would have been the “rounding point” at the low water time.
Assuming a Monte Verde starting point, and the currents the same as they are now, it would mean the end of “coasting down hill” and the start of going against the wind and current.
A nice to stop and catch your breath.
But you are correct in that most, if any, artifacts would be at the then coastline.
I can just imagine some poor fellow trying to get funding for a dig out there!

With heavy emphasis on the word "trying!"

Min wrote:

Given the costs, would this really be a worthwhile investment for anyone?

I'd think the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands govs might be convinced -

A South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands publications database website has been developed by the Centre for Remote Environments (which encompasses Project Atlantis) with help and research by Professor David Walton. The site can be used to search a bibliographic database of approximately 700 publications from 1998 to 2008.


The site is located at http://www.sgpublications.gs.

After all - it would do wonders to bring tourism to them too.

And also :

http://www.southgeorgiaassociation.org/news.html

South Georgia Association Initiative Fund.

The Association has established an Initiative Fund. The Fund is open to members of the Association who wish to initiate or support projects that will stimulate awareness of and interest in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and that meet the objectives of the Association.

Members interested in the Fund should contact the Secretary, who will provide further details of the Fund, including examples of projects, how to apply and likely awards. Applications will be assessed by an Independent Appraiser, who will make recommendations to the Association Committee.

After all - it would do wonders to bring tourism to them too.

So would clubbing baby seals!

Seal cakes!!!!

I just wouldn't want to be the poor sap trying to dig under that ice cold water if they ever did ok a dig - brrrrrrrrr.

We passed the Falkland Islands once close up, and such a god-forsaken place you have never seen. Why did Thacher have limeys killed to recover it is pride which cannot be debated.

I have to follow-up on the Falklands to Lubbock, Texas. It look like them without the water. Lubbock Lake was probably ok during Clovis, but Texans, who live in more pristine areas, have long computed that the wheels fell off their wagons at Lubbock, and could not go any farther. Perhaps the Falklands boats sank nearby. Texas Tech is not a bad school if you major in sand and tumbleweeds.

One more remark in my Mark Twainish commentaries - notice there is an Archy blurb to make my other random google type data hopefully ok. Texas Tech hired a high profile basketball coach from Indiana who was fired by beating up his players. He tried this on his Texans and went to the hospital.

Of course that player was his own son.

gunny wrote:We passed the Falkland Islands once close up, and such a god-forsaken place you have never seen. Why did Thacher have limeys killed to recover it is pride which cannot be debated.

I always trot out that example whenever someone starts telling me how peaceful a female leader would be, gunny.

As Khrushchev said: Politicians are the same the world over. They promise to build a bridge even when there is no river.