Scientists in Greece Find 20 Million Year-Old Petrified Tree
LESBOS, Greece Greek scientists on the volcanic island of Lesbos say they have found a rare fossilized tree whose branches and roots are still intact after 20 million years.
The tree was found during roadwork near an ancient forest petrified millions of years ago on the eastern Mediterranean island and transported from the site using a special splint and metal platform.
It is the first time a tree has been found in such good condition complete with branches and roots since excavations began in 1995, said Professor Nikos Zouros of the Museum of Natural History of the Petrified Forest of Lesbos.
Uncovered: The imprint of a leaf from the ancient fossil. Photo: REUTERS/Elias Marcou
Lesbos’s petrified forest, a 15,000-hectare, Unesco-protected site, is the result of a volcanic eruption 20 million years ago which smothered the island’s then subtropical forest ecosystem in lava.
The tree, about 19-metres long, was preserved by a thick layer of volcanic ash after it fell. A large number of fruit tree leaves were found in the same spot, adding to the picture along with animal bones from the general area.
“During the excavations the various forests that existed between 17 and 20 million years ago on Lesbos are being uncovered and we can reconstruct the ecosystem that existed during that period,” said Mr Zouros.
HOLBROOK, Az.- A dog with a Columbia microchip was found near Uranium Springs, a campground in Holbrook, Arizona.Â
According to a Facebook post, the dog was found Saturday, Jan. 16 wearing a backpack, which was opened and empty.Â
Please share!.. A freind found this pupper in the desert of Arizona near Uranium Springs (NE Arizona) he was found.
Posted by Kayleigh Jade on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 We fear he was with a hiker who had an emergency. He was severely emaciated, dehydrated and exhausted, the Facebook post read.Â
An Arizona man, Sam Lawless, fed the dog and took him to the vet, where it was scanned for a chip. The chip was traced back to Noah s Ark Animal Hospital in Columbia, he said.Â