An ancient mummified forest, complete with well-preserved logs, leaves, and seedpods, has been discovered deep in the Canadian Arctic. The forest was discovered recently by a research team lead by Joel Barker, research scientist, earth sciences.

The mummified forest seems to resemble modern forests growing hundreds of miles to the south, suggesting the forest must have grown during a time when the Arctic was much warmer. Based on the tree species, Barker and his team believe that the forest lived between ten and two million years ago.

The small number of species also suggests the ancient forest was "an ecosystem right on the edge of being able to survive," according to Barker. For instance the wood allows the team "to get the clearest view possible of what the world was like during a time when the Earth's climate was drastically changing."

Studying the mummified forest, the team hopes "to see how fast the climate was changing, and how the plants were responding," Barker noted.

Read the press release: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/mumforest.htm