6/28/21 Report- Atlantic Storms Brewing. Dating Nails: Most Common Artifact. Satellite Reveals Submerged Site.

 Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Well, it is that time of year.  If you are a Treasure Coast detectorist, you know to watch for storms that can affect the beaches.

Right now there is an area east-southeast of Hilton Head that has a good chance of becoming a tropical storm, and area to watch that is still far out in the Atlantic, that could head our direction.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

I'd say the best detecting months for finding shipwreck treasure on the beaches are September through April, with November through February being the best of those.  Then in the summer, it all depends upon the storms.

Here is a chart from stormfax.com that shows the months showing the months when Florida gets hit by hurricanes.  Data from 1851 - 2010.  More recent activity isn't shown.

Source: U.S. HURRICANE STRIKES BY MONTH (stormfax.com)

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A submerged Neolithic settlement was revealed by satellite images.

Here is that link.

Archaeologist discovers 6,000 year-old island settlement off Croatian coast | Reuters

Inspecting satellite images can be a good way to find new metal detecting sites.

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Nails are among the most common artifacts.  I've presented ways to judge the age of nails in the past.  See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/31 Report - Nails as Clues & 18th Century Brigantine.

Nails can provide good clues, but it isn't always as simple as it might seem.  As with everything, it isn't always clear cut.

Square nails can be old nails, but it isn't always the case.

What many of us are unaware of, however, is that those old nails were actually superior in design to modern wire nails. They have several times the holding power, and are less likely to cause wood to split. And perhaps even less well known is the fact that square nails are still manufactured today. They are even available in bulk quantities...

But the truly amazing thing about Tremont is that they still use their own vintage nail-cutting machines. These date back to the 1850s. Over the years, they’ve managed to keep these machines running by fabricating replacement parts when necessary. So these reproduction nails are hardly reproductions at all. Harder and stronger than iron, they are more of a generational advancement in square-cut nail technology, rather than simple copies of historic artifacts...

You can read more of that interesting article by using the following link.

The History and Merits of Square Nails (buildingmoxie.com)

I found some square nails on the site I have been detecting lately. 

Recently Dug Square Nails.

I looked at them under the microscope but they were so rusted that I couldn't tell which direction the iron fibers ran.

I remember square nails being used in the floor of the house my dad built in the early 1950s.

Here is a super web site that will help you determine the age of nails.

Nail Age & Identification Key for Antique Nail, Spike (inspectapedia.com)

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Keep watching the storm situation.  You don't want to miss it when the beaches change.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net