10 million-year-old fossilized tree found in Peru

The tree discovered in Peru is 10 million years old (photo illustration).

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A 10 million year old fossilized tree has been discovered in Peru by scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).

The expedition took place on the central Andean plateau, also known as the Altiplano.

The researchers published their findings in the journal 

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This tree was buried in a cold, grassy plain.

Its discovery calls into question what specialists thought they knew about the climate of that time.

Los # árboles # fósiles en la meseta andina central de # Perú cuentan una historia de dramáticos cambios ambientales https://t.co/ftXb5djkb8 #paleobiologia #ciencia #investigacion

- Smithsonian Panama (@stri_panama) August 28, 2020

An ecosystem wetter than today

“This tree and the hundreds of samples of fossil wood, leaves and pollen that we collected during the expedition reveal that when these plants were alive the ecosystem was wetter - even wetter than climate models. of the past had not predicted it ”, explained in a statement relayed by

Camila Martinez, one of the scientists of the STRI.

According to the researchers, the fossilized tree has an anatomy very similar to that of trees inhabiting low-lying tropical forests.

At the time, the plateau on which the tree was located was 2,000 meters above sea level while it now culminates at 4,000 meters.

“The elevation and vegetation have changed dramatically over a relatively short period of time, supporting a hypothesis that suggests that the tectonic uplift in this region has occurred in rapid pulses,” said Carlos Jaramillo, project manager at STRI.

Now, researchers will try to understand a little better the relationship between the rise of the Andes, local climates and vegetation.

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