Re: News: Rare fossilized cypress trees found in Hungary.
- From: Robert Weldon <rweldon@xxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:42:33 -0700
On Jul 31, 4:13 pm, Ye Old One <use...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Rare fossilized cypress trees found in Hungary
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070731/sc_nm/hungary_forest_dc_2;_ylt=Ak...
Tue Jul 31, 9:19 AM ET
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian scientists said on Tuesday they have
discovered a group of fossilized swamp cypress trees preserved from 8
million years ago which could provide clues about the climate of
pre-historic times.
Instead of petrifying -- turning to stone -- the wood of 16 Taxodium
trees was preserved in an open-cast coal mine allowing geologists to
study samples as if they were sections cut from a piece of living
wood.
"The importance of the findings is that so many trees got preserved in
their original position in one place," Alfred Dulai, geologist at the
Hungarian Natural History Museum said.
"But the real rarity about these trees is that ... their original wood
got preserved ... they did not turn into stone."
The trees, which stand 4-6 meters tall and 1.5-3 meters in diameter,
were found when miners started to remove a deep layer of sand at a
mine in the north-eastern village of Bukkabrany to get at deposits of
lignite.
The trees date back to the late Miocene geological period at a time
when the Carpathian basin -- present day Hungary -- was a freshwater
lake surrounded by swamps.
The trees were found on top of the lignite, capturing one of the last
moments of these swamps, Dulai said.
--
Bob.
Is preservation without fossilization that rare? I used to work in
the oil sands mine at Syncrude in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and there is
an entire forest preserved in the bottom of one part of the mine. It
is so common that some people have burned it in their fireplaces.
Most of it is completely soaked in oil, but if you look around, you
can find pieces that are unaffected. It doesn't last long as it is
bone dry and falls apart quickly once exposed to the air. I seem to
remember a geologist at the mine told me the wood is some 60 million
years old. I have a few pieces of oil free stuff, coated to preserve
the wood, as well as a few raw pieces and one big piece of oil soaked
wood.
.
- References:
- News: Rare fossilized cypress trees found in Hungary.
- From: Ye Old One
- News: Rare fossilized cypress trees found in Hungary.
- Prev by Date: Re: For UC: a fun, fun thread about "bird"
- Next by Date: Re: I respect Dawkins as a biologists though I
- Previous by thread: News: Rare fossilized cypress trees found in Hungary.
- Next by thread: Re: Pope: Creation vs. evolution clash an 'absurdity'
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
