Submerged forest

Submerged forest stumps at Ynyslas, Wales

Petrified tree stump at Ynyslas, Wales

Submerged forest at Dove Point, on the Wirral Peninsula

Submerged forest is a term used to describe the remains of trees (especially tree stumps) which have been submerged by marine transgression, i.e. sea level rise and petrified. Examples can be found at low tide on the fringes of the submerged landmass known as Doggerland, around the coast of England and Wales, the Channel Islands, north-west France and Denmark. These remains have usually been buried in mud, peat or sand for several thousand years before being uncovered by sea level change and erosion. In some places, such as Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth, the remains are normally covered by sand and only rarely exposed.

A forest that is still submerged has been found in Nantucket Sound, off the coast of the U.S.A.

Further reading

• An early work on this subject was: "Submerged Forests", by Clement Reid F.R.S., published by Cambridge University Press in 1913.
• See also, for example, "Submarine Archaeology of the North Sea", published by English Heritage in 2004, ISBN 1-902771-46-X

See also

• Fossil wood
• Polystrate fossil
• Petrified wood