Mummified Forest Found on Treeless Arctic Island

National Geographic News ^ | December 17, 2010 | Mason Inman

[SunkenCiv]

An ancient mummified forest, complete with well-preserved logs, leaves, and seedpods, has been discovered deep in the Canadian Arctic... The dry, frigid site is now surrounded by glaciers and is completely treeless, except for a few bonsai-size dwarf trees... located on Ellesmere Island, one of the world's northernmost landmasses. The rangers had come across wood scattered on the ground from much larger trees than the few dwarfs currently in the area, including logs that were several feet long... When Barker and colleagues found where the scattered logs were coming from -- a slope that had been eroded by a river -- they dug in and found many more logs, as well as leaves and seedpods... The mummified trees were likely preserved so long because they were buried quickly by landslides and thus protected from air and water, which hastens decomposition. By studying features of the logs, leaves, and seedpods, the team identified some tree species, including pine, birch, and spruce. The mummified forest seems to resemble modern forests growing hundreds of miles to the south, suggesting the forest must have grown during a time when the Arctic was much warmer, Barker said. Based on the tree species, the scientists think the forest lived between ten and two million years ago... By counting tree rings in some of the logs, the team found the trees were at least 75 years old when they were entombed. But the rings were very small, showing that the trees grew extremely slowly... The scientists also want to get a better idea of how the local forest responded as the planet cooled around five million years ago, changing from "greenhouse" to "icehouse" conditions.

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2645688/posts?page=31#31

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[Lockbar]

I’m still waiting for the planet to tip over and have a pole shift.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[SunkenCiv]