An ancient Alaskan forest has began to emerge after a glacier, which has covered it for 1,000 years, began to thaw out LiveScience reported.
"There are a lot of them, and being in a growth position is exciting because we can see the outermost part of the tree and count back to see how old the tree was," Cathy Connor, a geology professor at the University of Alaska Southeast who was involved in the investigation, told LiveScience. "Mostly, people find chunks of wood helter-skelter, but to see these intact upright is kind of cool."
University researchers noticed that trees and stumps in the habitat are buried under the glacier. Some were still in the same original upright positions with their roots still in the ground as they were when they became frozen.
The ice formation known as the Mendenhall Glacier is 36.8 square miles. According to LiveScience, scientists believe the trees are hemlocks or spruces because of the diameters of their trunks and were able to survive thanks to a tomb of gravel protecting them before the ice took over.
The news also gave the team of researchers a chance to examine what happens when a glacier forms in real-time. The Taku Glacier, which lies just south of Juneau is in the process of moving in on a cottonwood forest.
While researchers were ecstatic about the developments with Mendehall, local residents are concerned the melting of the ice could add to the threat of rising sea levels on the region, and affect the drinking water supply as several cities in the state such as Anchorage depend on glaciers for their water.
"These are relict stories, and piecing them together with radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic work would help piece together the chapters of the story," Connor said.
