LiDAR data for the Mafate cirque were used as a basis for field walking surveys in sectors where anomalies - straight positive reliefs that could be low walls, and flat areas containing potential features - seemed to suggest human settlements. At Roche Plate, archaeologists uncovered multiple remains of solid stone buildings. This Petits Blancs grazing and farming settlement can be compared to discoveries made in Plaine-aux-sables in 2010 and 2011.