Scientists Find Ancient Forest Fossils 390 Million Years Old in England, Breaking the Oldest Record in the World

ENGLISH – British scientists discovered the oldest forest fossils that have ever existed on Earth. The fossil is 390 million years old, breaking the record previously held by a forest in New York state by 4 million years. This is a press release from the University of Cambridge published last Thursday (7/3).

The fossils were found in high sandstone cliffs on the south side of the Bristol Channel near Minehead, not far from a park.

These trees, known as Calamophyton, look quite similar to palm trees. However, it has thin and hollow stems.

The tree does not have leaves, but twig-like structures that cover the branches.

Researcher Neil Davies, who is also a lecturer in the Earth Sciences department at Cambridge University, said that the tree is only 2-4 meters high and usually releases branches as it grows.

Image of the oldest tree ever found in the world. Photo: ist

The forest is thought to date from the Devonian Period, 419 million to 358 million years ago, when life began moving onto land. The trees will trap sediment in their root systems, stabilizing riverbanks and shorelines, Davies explained.

“By doing that, they direct the water in certain locations and create these little channels,” he said. “They’re basically building an environment where they want to live rather than being passive.”

The findings also reveal the speed at which ancient forests developed, Davies said.

While the fossils in England came from a sparse forest with only one type of tree, the oldest forest previously in New York state had a greater variety of species. For example, a vine grew in the ground, even though it lived only 4 million years later, he explained.