Earth's oldest forest is discovered 近づく a Butlin's in Somerset: Fossilised woodland dates 支援する 390 million years - （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing the previous 記録，記録的な／記録する 支えるもの／所有者 in New York by 4 million years

• e-mail

A Butlin's in Somerset might not seem like a natural 背景 to groundbreaking 科学の 発見.

But 研究員s have now discovered Earth's oldest forest hidden in the sandstone cliffs 近づく the holiday 訴える手段／行楽地.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge and University of Cardiff discovered the 化石 remains of an 古代の forest that once stretched across Devon and Somerset.

This 化石 forest is believed to date 支援する 390 million years, （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing the previous 記録，記録的な／記録する 支えるもの／所有者 in New York by more than four million years.?

Lead author Professor Neil Davies from the University of Cambridge, said: 'People いつかs think that British 激しく揺するs have been looked at enough, but this shows that revisiting them can 産する／生じる important new 発見s.'

Scientists 設立する the fossilised remains of tree trunks (pictured). As this cross-section of a スピードを出す／記録につける shows, these trees would have been hollow in the middle?

Scientists have discovered Earth's oldest forest in an 古代の sandstone 形式 近づく Minehead, Somerset, which is now home to a Butlin's holiday 訴える手段／行楽地

In the 熟考する／考慮する, the 研究員s 熟考する／考慮するd the 激しく揺するs of the 'Hangman Sandstone 形式' - a 0.8-mile (1.4km) 厚い 禁止（する）d of 激しく揺する from the Devonian period, which stretches between 419 million and 358 million years ago.

It was in this period that life began its first serious 拡大 の上に land.?

Until now, the cliffs on the South Bank of the Bristol Channel had been believed to 含む／封じ込める no 工場／植物 化石s.

However, by 規模ing England's highest sea cliffs - some of which can only be reached by boat - the 研究員s discovered the remains of tree trunks and twigs from an 古代の forest.

Dating 支援する more than 350 million years, these are the oldest 工場／植物 化石s ever 設立する in Britain.?

Before this 発見, the oldest known forest in the world was in Green 郡, about a two-hour 運動 north of New York City.

This forest grew around 385 million years ago and 生き残るd long enough to have been seen by dinosaurs.??

The 化石s 保存する fallen スピードを出す／記録につけるs (pictured)? in remarkable 詳細（に述べる）, showing the patterns that would have covered their bark?

Here, scientists 熟考する／考慮する the 化石 of a large stump. Although not as large as their modern 子孫s, these 古代の trees could grow between two and four metres tall

However, the 化石 trees 設立する in Somerset wouldn't have been anything like the fo 残り／休憩（する）s 設立する today in the nearby Exmoor 国家の Park.

These trees, called Calamophyton, would have looked a little like modern-day palm trees, によれば the 研究員s.?

Unlike modern trees, they were thin and hollow at the centre, while hundreds of twig-like structures grew on them instead of leaves.

Compared with a modern forest, they would also have been a lot shorter, with the tallest reaching between two and four metres.?

Professor Davies said: 'This was a pretty weird forest ? not like any forest you would see today.

'There wasn’t any undergrowth to speak of and grass hadn’t yet appeared, but there were lots of twigs dropped by these 密集して-packed trees, which had a big 影響 on the landscape.'

These fallen twigs would have 供給するd homes for some of the earliest animals, with the 研究員s even discovering the fossilised 跡をつけるs of one of these 早期に invertebrates on the forest 床に打ち倒す.?

The 化石 trees 設立する in Somerset wouldn't have been anything like the forests 設立する today in the nearby Exmoor 国家の Park. These trees, called Calamophyton, would have looked a little like modern-day palm trees, によれば the 研究員s (artist's impression)?

化石 remains show the twigs (pictured) which fell to the 床に打ち倒す and helped changed the landscape of the Devonian Period

The fallen litter from the forest was the home for some of the first invertebrates to 投機・賭ける の上に land. This picture shows the fossilised 跡をつけるs of one of these 早期に animals?

The 研究員s hope that by 熟考する／考慮するing the remains of the forest they will be able to get an insight into how 古代の forests changed the landscape around them

In 新規加入 to giving 早期に animals a home, this forest would have also been a powerful 軍隊 in 形態／調整ing the land, によれば Professor Davies.?

'The Devonian period fundamentally changed life on Earth,' he explained.?

'It also changed how water and land interacted with each other, since trees and other 工場／植物s helped stabilise sediment through their root systems.'

At the time this forest was growing, the piece of 激しく揺する which now forms Culver Cliff, Selworthy Sand, and Porlock Weir was not 現実に 大（公）使館員d to England.

Instead, it was part of modern-day Germany and Belgium, where other Devonian 激しく揺するs can be 設立する.

The 地形 itself would have been a 半分-arid plain, criss-crossed with small rivers 流出／こぼすing out of mountains in the Northwest.

The areas 近づく Minehead would ha ve once been a 半分-arid 計画（する）, criss-crossed with streams and stabilised by 早期に forests. Today it is the 場所／位置 of a large Butlin's holiday 訴える手段／行楽地 (pictured)

This 地図／計画する shows how the cliffs of Devon and Somerset (最高潮の場面d by 黒人／ボイコット box) were once part of the landmass that is now Germany and Belgium?

Although scientists know that trees had a 役割 in 形態／調整ing this 古代の 環境, until now there has not been an 適切な時期 to 熟考する／考慮する their 衝撃s in such 詳細（に述べる）.? ?

熟考する／考慮する co-author Dr Christopher Berry from Cardiff University says it was amazing to see these 化石 forests so の近くに to home.?

'The most 明らかにする／漏らすing insight comes from seeing, for the first time, these trees in the positions where they grew,' he 結論するd.?

'It is our first 適切な時期 to look 直接／まっすぐに at the 生態学 of this earliest type of forest, to 解釈する／通訳する the environme nt in which Calamophyton trees were growing, and to 評価する their 衝撃 on the sedimentary system.'