The oldest on the planet: 390 million-year-old forest discovered in England

Recent research has shown that the oldest fossil forest on Earth is located in southwestern England. Dating back to about 390 million years ago, this forest is older than previously known fossils of a forest in New York State that are 386 million years old.

The discovery was published in the Journal of the Geological Society. The discovery dates back to the Devonian period when the territory of modern Britain was part of the ancient Laurentian continent and had a warm, arid climate. This is reported by IFL. Science.

The discovered forest consisted of palm-like trees known as Cladoxylopsida plants, an extinct species related to ferns. These conifers had a long stem that looked like palm leaves, but they were actually branched branches. Cladoxylopsida trees reached 2-4 meters in height.

In addition to tree remains, scientists also found fossilized remains of other Devonian flora and some ancient arthropods. The discovery is the first example of a true ancient forest on Earth, where trees grew next to each other.

According to scientists, Cladoxylopsida forests could have acted as biogeomorphic agents, shaping the terrain, contributing to the accumulation of sediments, and changing the environment. This was the impetus for the transformation of terrestrial landscapes and the biosphere as a whole about 390 million years ago when forests began to actively grow and populate the land.

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