Five pieces of 3 were unearthed in New Brunswick, CanadaThe 500-million-year-old fossils of trees are rare in terms of "age" and integrity, which may help us better understand the Earth's historical features and ecosystems.
The research report was published in the journal Current Biology on the 2nd.
According to CNN, two researchers discovered the first fossilized tree during a quarry in New Brunswick in 2017. Over the next few years, researchers found four more fossils of the same tree there. The largest of these fossils is the size of a car. They named the tree species after the owner of the quarry.
Robert Gastardo, a paleontologist at Colby College in the United States, said that most ancient trees are very short, and the fossils are almost all trunks, which may have stumps or root systems attached. Of the currently documented fossils of Paleozoic trees, only five or six have well-preserved canopies. What was found this time was a large well-preserved tree, probably about 4It is 6 meters tall and has a canopy diameter of 55 meters, the volume is large, the preservation is complete, it is "jaw-dropping".
Peter Welf, a professor of geology and paleobotany at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, who did not participate in the excavation, said that complete tree fossils are even rarer than complete dinosaur fossils.
The researchers concluded that the tree lived at the end of the Paleozoic era and resembled modern ferns or palm trees. In the most complete fossil, more than 250 leaves have been preserved around the trunk, with leaves up to 1 in lengthAbout 7 meters.
Matthew Stimson, assistant director of the New Brunswick Museum, speculates that the formation of the fossils may be related to the catastrophic landslide triggered by **, which may have been buried deep in the lake while still alive. However, this species may be short-lived.
According to the report, this new discovery will not only help mankind understand the evolution process of life on Earth, but also help scientists figure out the possible next direction of life.
*Xinhua.
Edited by Zhang Liangsheng.
Second trial: He Tao.
Third trial Tian Minjia.