Preserved Trees from the Miocene Period Found in Hungary
Space is not the only area that are finding new things out of nowhere. The remains of an eight-million year old forest of swamp cypress trees were found in Bukkabrany in north-eastern Hungary. The trees once grew on the swampy, shores of a giant, freshwater lake in the Bukk mountains north of Misholc during the late Miocene period, about eight million years ago. The stumps of the ancient trees were discovered on the lowest level of an open-cast, brown coal mine, where at a higher level coal formed by other trees had been found.
The preserved tree stumps were rare in that they were maintained in their original form and had not been fossilized or turned to coal, as often happens in the conditions in which the trees were preserved. The find is important in that so many of the trees have been foundin their original positions in one area. Archaeologists explain the state of preservation as an effect of a sandstorm which covered the trees to a depth of about 20 feet. The parts of the trees encased below the surface of the sand were preserved without being petrified.
While the tree stumps are about 20 feet tall and six to ten feet in diameter, the living trees would have grown to between 100 and 130 feet tall. Found about 200 feet below the surface, the trunks cannot be moved as they crumble when exposed to air and sunlight, and are drying up because they have lost the cellulose holding the cell membranes together. Despite their vast age the remains still feel like wood to the touch.
Since the organic material is still present in the wood, the tree stumps will make it possible to conduct dendrochronology tests, which are studies of tree rings that can identify the changes in climatic conditions occurring over the tree’s lifetimes. Estimates are that the trees were 300 to 400 years old, but, as they began growing at different times, scientists think they will be able to examine a period of time from 1,000 to 1,500 years.
Because of the fragile state of the preserved trees, authorities have limited access to the mine, allowing only journalists and archaeologists to enter. The site will soon be closed again, and measures have been taken to preserve the trees. A similar ancient forest has been located in Japan where archaeologists have preserved it in a cement sarcophagus. Gabor Fodor, Hungarian Environment Minister, has said that the Hungarian government will contribute millions of dollars for the preservation effort.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Public Relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
