A systematic LiDAR survey of the Bad Axe River Valley in southwestern Wisconsin identified 42 previously unreported effigy mounds at 12 sites, bringing the drainage’s then-known total to 117. LiDAR gives researchers a much more precise modern record of mound locations and forms; it does not show that ancient builders intentionally used one-minute-of-arc alignment or matched the pyramids of Egypt. The video argues that the mapped geometry may contain a readable pattern, but that interpretation has not been established.
LiDAR survey finds 42 newly reported effigy mounds in Wisconsin’s Bad Axe Valley
Site mentioned
📍 Wisconsin Effigy Mounds
Key facts
- The documented systematic LiDAR survey covered the Bad Axe River Valley in Vernon County, Wisconsin, not thousands of mounds across Wisconsin and neighboring states.
- It identified 42 newly reported effigy mounds at 12 sites, bringing the drainage’s then-known total to 117.
- LiDAR improves the modern mapping of mound locations and forms. The cited results do not establish that ancient builders intentionally achieved one-minute-of-arc accuracy, accuracy comparable to Egypt’s pyramids, or the stated couple-degree limit on older compass surveys.
- The idea that the geometry can be read like a “new book” is the video’s interpretation, not an established research finding.
Sources
Mapping Monumental Mysteries: Wisconsin's Effigy Moundsscience.wisc.edu
Effigy mounds were built by nearly two dozen communities, many located where Wisconsin's major cities and towns stand today.
Effigy Mounds Culture | Wisconsin Historical Societywisconsinhistory.org
Archaeologists call it "Effigy Mound" culture. The name is inspired by the unique burial mounds constructed by the native communities of southern Wisconsin.
Luther College professor studies ancient effigy mounds to reveal ...kcrg.com
That's why Betts began surveying the national monument in 2022, using remote sensing technology to study the hidden complexities beneath the ...
Effigy Mounds of Southern Wisconsintravelwisconsin.com
Historically, the biggest concentration of effigy mounds was along the shores of Madison's four lakes, where the Mound Builders built some 1,500 earthworks.
Geophysical Detection and Assessment of Leveled Mounds - jstorjstor.org
The survey covered 8.64 ha, encompassing loci of one previously reported mound and possible geometric earthworks as well as. Middle and Late Woodland habitation ...
Burial Mounds - Wisconsin DNRdnr.wisconsin.gov
Wisconsin is the geological center of effigy mound distribution, with more effigy mound sites than anywhere else in the world.
(PDF) New Lidar -More Mounds: An Update of the Bad Axe ...academia.edu
Examination of 2010 aerial lidar in the Bad Axe Valley of southwestern Wisconsin had revealed 42 effigy mounds for a total of 117 known mounds in this drainage.
Using Lidar to Identify Mounds in Wisconsinstatic1.squarespace.com
Over this past winter, he and Boszhardt identified 29 previously unreported effigy mounds at 13 sites, in addition to two apparent isolated linear mounds – all ...
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