Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Yesterday I mentioned how it seemed that there were a lot of treasure stories in the media lately. Here is another.A large hoard of Roman gold and silver jewelry worth around a million euros has been recovered after being found in a forest in Germany.
All of the rare coins, rings and brooches contain gold or silver, and many date back more than 1,200 years.
The article says, Experts say the find could be the largest and most magnificent collection of late antiquity pieces ever found in Germany. It also includes a solid silver bowl set with gold and stones and a set of gold and silver plated statuettes which formed part of a military commander's portable chair.
Here is the link.
http://www.thelocal.de/20140219/german-amateur-treasure-hunter-bags-sensational-roman-hoard
This find was made illegally. That isn't good but something like the Portable Antiquities Scheme might have prevented the unfortunate way the whole thing went down.
Scientists have been tracking ocean debris caused by the Sept. 2012 tsunami in Japan. They made improvements to the initial model to take into account the different shapes and buoyancies. The amount of surface area exposed to the wind and currents causes the objects to drift at different speeds and trajectories. The model predicted the timing and type of material that would wash up on the shores of Hawaii, which included very buoyant pieces such as oyster buoys, crates, small fishing boats and parts of refrigerators.
You might remember some of my discussions concerning the types of factors that affect how things will move and be distributed on a beach.
For example, a watch might act something little a refrigerator. A watch can be fairly heavy, butsince it can contain air pockets and provides a lot of surface area relative to their size and weight, it would be moved more by currents and sink less quickly in sand.
If you've been reading this blog over the years, you've heard me discuss factors like these that are usually left out of the equation when people talk about "heavy objects," "density" or even "specific gravity," as if all objects were simple lumps.
Here is the link to the article about tracking the tsunamis debris.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/What_has_happened_to_the_tsunami_debris_from_Japan_999.html
You also have to take the same factors into account when trying to figure out where shipwreck debris will end up. To some extent, different types of objects will be separated and distributed separately on the bottom of the ocean and along the beach.\
Did you know there are things that it is illegal for Americans to sell? You probably know some of them but might be surprised by others. Here they are.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101424448/?__source=xfinity|hero&par=xfinity
While the seas around Florida have been very calm this winter I've talked about the rough seas, flooding and erosion in the North Atlantic on both sides of the pond. 25-foot waves have been pounding the shores of Lake Michigan.
Here is an article about those dangerous conditions.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/02/monster_25-foot_waves_to_churn.html
Thank goodness our beaches aren't frozen. I remember a few winters ago when it seemed my toes were freezing and had to go back to the car and get footwear. Usually the water is warmer than the air on cold days, so I would dip my feet in the water for temporary warming. This time I thought I could take it but didn't realize I was getting too soft and accustomed to Florida weather.
We've had some cool days, but not many cold days.
For the Treasure Coast there is a period of six to nine foot surf prediction about a week from now. As I've often mentioned, when the surf web site predict a big surf a week or more in advance it usually never happens. Only time will tell.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
