Scientists discovered geographic formations in the Gulf of Alaska that have not been previously reported in scientific literature The team says they were once above the surface during the last Ice Age and acted as stepping stones for migrants from Asia coming to North America They were closely spaced islands in the Gulf of Alaska that stretched as far as Middleton Island, which was followed by a 124 mile gap and then more islands Researchers say that paddlers could have used the chain of islands as rest stops The study also proposes that most of North Americas first settlers traveled this route, rather than the long-held idea that they crossed the Bering Strait Bridge