A BURIED FOREST.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5628, 10 March 1879, Page 7

A BURIED FOREST.

An interesting l discovery has been lately announced, which was “made by Dr Moesta, the Geological Director of Marburg, in the .course of some extensive explorations in the neighbourhood of Eotenburg on the Fulda, in Hesse Oassel. From his investigations, Dr Moesta has come to the conclusion that an oak wood lies buried in that portion of the valley of the Fulda, at; about a depth of from six to nine feet below the surface. This wood flourished at a very remote period of the earth’s existence. Explorations carried on in the bed of the Fulda has brought to light several of the trees. It is estimated that between 200 and 300 trees are imbedded in the river bed between Hers-' feld and Melsungen (about 30 miles, which would warrant the expectation that at least ten times that number are to be found in the soil of the adjoining valley. The greater number of the trees discovered,were In good preservation, bat owing to the action of the water through unnumbered ages, they have become thoroughly black in colour. They have also become very hard and close, so that they would be excellent material for carving and-ornamental cabinet work. Some of the trees are of great size ; one taken out by .a gravelly portion of the bed opposite the village of Baumbach, and since sent to the Geological Museum at Berlin, was 59ft long,' nearly sft in diameter near the root, and about 3Sin at the top, so that its solid contents are about 630 cubic feet. Even larger specimens have been found. It is reported that the furniture and fittings of the Geological Museum at Marburg are to be made from this long buried timber. An interesting question remains to be solved; Do these buried oaks belong to a species still existing, or to an extinct one ?