# A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…

> Most likely: A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact; the catastrophe came after 1722…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/answers/ANS0CTG357G5AP7/a-small-stable-population-adapted-to-a-poor-environment-with  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Easter Island moai](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai)[Did Rapa Nui society collapse before European contact?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/questions/QST0CTG30B82PQ7/did-rapa-nui-society-collapse-before-european-contact)Answer

Answer · Easter Island moai

# A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…

A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact; the catastrophe came after 1722 through disease and slaving.

**Most likely** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Most likely** Its tests supported it: four pieces of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- No pre-contact bottleneck; land use and construction continuing to and past contact; population at contact near carrying capacity of the gardens.

## What would rule it out

- A secure pre-contact bottleneck in genomes or an island-wide hiatus in dated activity.

## Evidence 4 for · none against

[Garden extent supports about 3,000 people, matching the contact-period population.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG35Q46159/garden-extent-supports-about-3-000-people-matching-the)

Supported

FOR

[Genomes show no bottleneck and about 10 per cent Native American ancestry acquired about 1250–1430.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG35FA31VX/genomes-show-no-bottleneck-and-about-10-per-cent-native)

Established

FOR

[Land use shifted between regions over time rather than failing everywhere.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG35YY6VKQ/land-use-shifted-between-regions-over-time-rather-than)

Supported

FOR

[Statue toppling dates mainly to after contact.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/evidence/EVD0CTG366R66YF/statue-toppling-dates-mainly-to-after-contact)

Supported

FOR

## The questions it answers

[Did Rapa Nui society collapse before European contact?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/easter-island-moai/questions/QST0CTG30B82PQ7/did-rapa-nui-society-collapse-before-european-contact)

AnsweredNo answer ahead

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;… [Answer ANS0CTG357G5AP7]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CTG357G5AP7
```

Key

**ANS** 0CTG357G5AP7

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

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