U.S.

A mysterious structure has been discovered underneath the sand on a Florida beach

December 5, 2022 / 2:53 PM EST / CBS News

Beachgoers in Florida discovered a mysterious object buried underneath the sand, perplexing locals and officials. The object began protruding out of the sand after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole battered Volusia County earlier this year, said Kevin A. Captain, a spokesperson for for Volusia County.

It appears to be a wooden structure and looks like pieces of wood poking out of the beach for about 80 feet. It was discovered Thanksgiving weekend by beachgoers, Captain told CBS News via email.

Beachgoers in Florida discovered a mysterious object buried underneath the sand, perplexing locals and officials. It appears to be a wooden structure. Volusia Beach Safety

He said an archeologist is visiting the beach on Tuesday to examine the structure. CBS News has reached out to the Florida Department of State for more information and is awaiting response.

[Update: Archaeologists say it appears to be the remains of a wooden shipwreck from the 1800s. Read the latest here.]

The erosion on the beach has been "unprecedented," Volusia Beach Safety Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs told CBS News affiliate WKMG. "We haven't seen this kind of erosion in a very long time," she said. "I've been on the beach probably 25 years and that's the first time I've seen it exposed."

"We're not sure what it is," Malphurs said about the structure.

Hurricane Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 on Sept. 28, while Hurricane Nicole made landfall in the state as a Category 1 on Nov. 10. These hurricanes and Hurricane Fiona extensively damaged parts of Florida and Puerto Rico.

The object began protruding out of the sand after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole battered Volusia County earlier this year, said Kevin A. Captain, director of information for Volusia County government. Volusia Beach Safety

After Nicole made landfall, Gov. Ron De Santis said the storm would be less significant than Ian, but still make an impact – especially in Volusia County, located just above where the storm officially made landfall, according to CBS Miami.

"This is obviously not as significant storm as Hurricane Ian was, but coming on the heels of that, you're seeing communities, particularly in the Volusia County area, that had a lot of that erosion on the coastline," DeSantis said during a press conference. "This has put some of those structures in jeopardy, and they've been working very hard to make sure everybody's safe."

Other areas of the state, like Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, also reported widespread beach erosion after Nicole.

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.