SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) -- Archeologists and divers are studying what may be an ancient dugout canoe found submerged under 40 feet of water in Lake Pend Oreille.

Matthew Russell, an underwater archaeologist with the National Park Service headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., said it may take several weeks to determine the canoe's age and origin.

"This could be the only known find of its kind in Idaho," said Mary Anne Davis, assistant archaeologist with the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office in Boise. "It's pretty exciting -- we really don't know what we have."

Archaeologists spent three days this week at the Lake Pend Oreille site with the divers. They took a quarter-inch core sample from the hull to determine the type of wood from which it was made.

Radiocarbon testing will determine whether the craft is prehistoric, Russell said.

The artifact is sturdy enough to be excavated from its watery resting space, but because archaeology is a destructive science, it will take some time to correctly identify the discovery. It is fairly fragile in some places, Russell said.

"It looks like Barney Rubble's car with no wheels," said Mark Jones, a local attorney who found the craft on New Year's Day along with diving partner Sid Redfield and boat operator Gary Weisz.

AP-WS-04-22-04 1148EDT