The broader Channel Islands continue to be a focus of archaeological research.

Underwater archaeology — systematic survey of the submerged continental shelf around the islands — is a growing field.

High-resolution sonar surveys of the seafloor have identified potential ancient landscape features: buried river channels, former shorelines, areas that might have been habitation sites on the terminal Pleistocene Santarosae.

While the practical challenges of underwater excavation are enormous, the development of remotely operated vehicles and other underwater survey tools is expanding what is possible.

Any future underwater discovery from the submerged shelf of Santarosae — any evidence of human occupation from the terminal Pleistocene that has survived in some unexpected preservation context — would be extraordinary.