An Ancient Fossilized Forest Emerges on Badger Beach in Tasmania, Sparking Debate Over Its Origins and Significance.
The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) shared images of the ancient forest revealed after a recent storm, located at Badger Beach in Narawntapu National Park, Interesting Engineering reported on October 8th. While such events are extremely rare and the tide will soon bury the forest beneath layers of sand, the sight has attracted considerable interest regarding the types of trees found in the forest and their fossilization status.
Remnants of the ancient fossilized forest. (Photo: PWS/Barbara Alsop).
In the photos posted by PWS on Facebook, the remnants of the forest appear as a mass of algae when viewed from a distance; in reality, they are tree bark protruding through the sand. The intact bark mixed with rocks is part of a forest dating back to the Ice Age, meaning these ancient trees are tens of thousands of years old. While some believe this to be a petrified forest, some experts disagree. They speculate that despite being in fossilized form, the forest remains largely intact and closer to its natural state.
PWS notes that the exposed forest contains both fossilized and intact traces. In both cases, the lack of oxygen leads to wood decomposition. However, in the case of fossilization, organic material transforms into stone. According to PWS, the forest is approximately 40,000 years old. It is likely that this is an ancient tea tree forest.
In March 2024, researchers discovered a fossilized forest with many low palm-like trees that existed during the Devonian period, around 390 million years ago, in what is now southwestern England. This forest predates the fossilized Gilboa forest in New York, USA, which is dated at 386 million years old.
Famous for its expansive fields, coastal heathland, grasslands, and diverse wildlife such as kangaroos, Narawntapu National Park attracts 62,000 visitors each year.
