Post by L Roebuck on May 8, 2007 7:15:29 GMT -5
Cave Near Chicago Full of Ancient Wonders
North America's oldest conifer tree and some ancient scorpion parts are among the fossil treasures found in a newly discovered cave in Illinois.
The new discovery also unearthed fossils of plants that may be new to science and revealed evidence of prehistoric forest fires.
Scientists date the specimens to nearly 315 million years ago, according to initial findings presented last month at the regional meeting of the Geological Society of America in Lawrence, Kan.
"I've never seen anything like this before," said Roy Plotnick, a paleontologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago who discovered the cave with students on a field trip to a site two hours outside of Chicago. "The limestone that forms the cave is 450 million years old, but that's not the interesting part of the cave. The preservation inside the cave is what's fascinating."
What is of interest to Plotnick and his colleagues are the well-preserved bits of plants and insects that have been cushioned in the cave and protected from the elements.
Much of the biological treasure is preserved as charcoal, which researchers assume is a sign that the ancient trees were burned in fires.
Full Article
North America's oldest conifer tree and some ancient scorpion parts are among the fossil treasures found in a newly discovered cave in Illinois.
The new discovery also unearthed fossils of plants that may be new to science and revealed evidence of prehistoric forest fires.
Scientists date the specimens to nearly 315 million years ago, according to initial findings presented last month at the regional meeting of the Geological Society of America in Lawrence, Kan.
"I've never seen anything like this before," said Roy Plotnick, a paleontologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago who discovered the cave with students on a field trip to a site two hours outside of Chicago. "The limestone that forms the cave is 450 million years old, but that's not the interesting part of the cave. The preservation inside the cave is what's fascinating."
What is of interest to Plotnick and his colleagues are the well-preserved bits of plants and insects that have been cushioned in the cave and protected from the elements.
Much of the biological treasure is preserved as charcoal, which researchers assume is a sign that the ancient trees were burned in fires.
Full Article