"Rediscovery of 22-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Forest Buried by Ancient Volcanic Eruption"
Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have discovered the fossilized remains of a 22-million-year-old megaflora forest in the Panama Canal. The newly identified extinct mangrove species, Sonneratioxylon barrocoloradoensis, suggests that ancient trees were significantly larger than today's mangroves. Radiometric dating places the forest in the Early Miocene era, and it is believed to have been buried by a lahar—a volcanic mudflow—leading to its exceptional preservation. The discovery, made on Barro Colorado Island, provides valuable insights into Earth's geological and biological history and was facilitated by the sediment removal for the Panama Canal expansion. The findings are detailed in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.