Ancient Underwater Forest Much Older Than First Thought [1]

Weather.com - 3/17/13, Ben Raines

Fish swim through an ancient forest found 60 feet underwater about 10 miles offshore from Mobile, Ala., on Aug. 30, 2012. Scientists who examined the trees remarked on how well preserved the wood was. The forest was apparently buried under a thick layer of sand for eons until it was uncovered by giant waves during Hurricane Katrina.

MOBILE, Ala.  — An ancient forest found 60 feet underwater about 10 miles offshore of Alabama is much older than originally thought. Al.com collected samples of the trees during a scuba diving expedition to the forest. Those samples were sent to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for radiocarbon dating and found to be more than 50,000 years old. Scientists who examined the trees remarked on how well preserved the wood was. Cut into a piece and the unmistakable aroma of newly sawn cypress blooms up, despite millennia spent at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. 

For more info click: Ancient Forest [2]