Prehistoric forest found by water

Ben Raines, a diver from the Alabama coast, has found a real treasure underwater! Encouraged by stories of a place rich in marine life, he decided to dive and explore a designated location in the Gulf of Mexico. How surprised he must have been when, submerged in the water, he found a huge cluster of giant cypresses.

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As it turned out, Ben found a fragment of a primeval forest, over 50,000 years old! The underwater forest is hidden at a depth of about 18m. Scientists speculate that during all this time, the trees were buried under a layer of oxygen-poor seabed, which has kept them in excellent condition. Apparently, the severed pieces that were taken to the surface spread the aroma of fresh cypress sap.

The area where this amazing forest appeared covers about 1.5km. According to Raines’ account, the trunks of some of the cypress trees were the size of a truck. The owner of a local dive shop told him about this unusual site. He kept the location a secret for several years to protect it from destruction. Only after much persuasion did he reveal the location of the forest to Reins.

The discoverer of the find believes that the forest was “found” due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It would not be the first time that nature has uncovered what it had previously hidden for many years. This provides a wonderful opportunity to look at conditions on the ground at that time. As we know, tree trunks provide a wonderful record of climate change. Scientists, after initial visual inspections, estimate that they have about 2 years to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

After that date, the cypress forest off the Alabama coast, re-exposed to biological processes, will be devoured by wood-eating representatives of local fauna.

Source: licescience.com