The forest fossils were from the universities of Cambridge and Cardiff. The oldest forest in the world was found near Minehead in Great Britain, specifically in the cliffs stretching across the counties of Devon and Somerset.
Minehead in the UK Google Maps
The oldest forest in the world is 390 million years old
Until now, the oldest forest in the world was considered to be the one discovered in Gilboa in the US state of New York. According to scientists, fossils from Great Britain are 390 million years old, which is four million years older than those from the USA.
Petrified trees of the Calamophyton species at first glance resemble palm trees. Instead of solid wood, their trunks were thin and hollow. They also lacked leaves, and their branches were covered with hundreds of twig-like structures. The trees were also much shorter than their descendants, the largest being two to four meters high.
Scientist: I knew what it was right away
– When I first saw photos of tree trunks, based on 30 years of research on this type of trees around the world, I immediately knew what it was – said co-author of the discovery, Dr. Christopher Berry from the University of Cardiff. Scientists say the place where the forest was found was a semi-arid plain during the Devonian period and was not connected to England, but to parts of Germany and Belgium, where fossils of such trees have also been found. – It was quite a strange forest. Different than all the forests we can see today. There were no brushes and the grass had not yet appeared. However, a lot of twigs fell from the densely intertwined trees, which had a huge impact on the landscape – added Prof. Neil Davies from the University of Cambridge.
Source: Gazeta
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