What lies beneath Lake Erie? Great Lake bed exposed by weather phenomenon moving water

'Seiche' phenomenon causes Lake Erie water levels to recede

The strong winds over the last two days have been very revealing in places. That includes Lake Erie, in a phenomenon known as a "seiche," where the winds blow so strongly they actually cause one end of the lake to lower while the east side of the lake sees water levels rise.

(FOX 2) - A couple of days of intense winds across the state has caused Lake Erie to lower, revealing interesting finds for treasure hunters. 

Big picture view:

The strong winds over the last two days have been very revealing in places. That includes Lake Erie, in a phenomenon known as a "seiche," where the winds blow so strongly they actually cause one end of the lake to lower while the east side of the lake sees water levels rise.

The lake is still low in Luna Pier as strong winds continue to whip, but it was Monday's bomb cyclone that really provided the fuel to give some adventurous locals a chance to do some real exploring and here is what they found when the waters pulled away.

Credit: Black Swamp Storm Intercept Team

Credit: Black Swamp Storm Intercept Team

"During our trek from Luna Pier down to Erie Beach, we found a Volkswagen, which we confirmed with someone who lives locally that they lost it back in 1969," said Austin Lada. "It was being used to pull skiers on the ice. We also found a snowmobile which was lost for a couple years, and then a class ring. We don’t have a ton of information on it because it just has ‘high school’ inscribed on it, but based on the info, it’s 60 to 70 years old."

Lada lives along Lake Erie and says he and a few friends were able to venture out roughly a quarter to a half mile into the lake thanks to the winds literally pushing the water west. Eventually, the water will slosh its way back, returning the lake to normal levels.

He described the terrain as soft sand that was rather easy to walk on, but cautions this is not something anyone should do alone due to the unstable ground and not knowing when the waters will return.

Lada says the lake is about 70% restored, meaning all the items they found yesterday are back underwater except the ring and the snowmobile.