Canadian Researchers’ Rare Discovery Reveals Unusual Tree From 350 Million Years Ago

The Sanfordiacaulis tree was discovered in New Brunswick and is believed to have originated 350 million years ago. Photo Courtesy of Tim Stonesifer

Researchers in Eastern Canada have discovered a unique tree fossil encased in stone with its branches and leaves attached; an unusual finding when it comes to fossils.

The discovery was made in 2017 at the Sanford Quarry in Norton, New Brunswick by Matt Stimson, an assistant curator of geology and paleontology at the New Brunswick Museum (NBM), and Olivia King, a research associate with the museum, according to a NBM press release. The discovery was made public on Feb. 5 following “six years of research by an international research team,” said NBM.

The tree species looks similar to a palm or fern, with about 250 leaves attached. Robert Gastaldo, a paleontologist from Colby College in Maine, U.S., said that the canopy of leaves could have extended about 5.5 metres (18 feet) around the trunk.

New Brunswick researchers Adrian Park and Steve Hinds have suggested the tree was discovered intact because it was buried in a landslide that resulted from an ancient earthquake, NBM said. The tree was then submerged in the bottom of a lake and encased in sandstones, which was discovered in the quarry.

Ms. King, one of the researchers who discovered the tree, said it was like a “snapshot in time.”

“From the initial discovery, we’re like, ‘okay, this is bigger than anything we’ve seen in New Brunswick or potentially Atlantic Canada,’” Ms. King said in an interview with The Epoch Times.

“At the time New Brunswick would have been closer to the equator, it would have been warm and tropical, this environment would have these trees and this tree in particular would have been probably part of this valley of interconnected lakes.”

Details about the tree and its scientific importance were recently published in an article in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology.

Scientists say they’ve found five of the trees that date back to about 350 million years ago, which is prior to when dinosaurs are thought to have walked the earth.

The fossilized trees were named Sanfordiacaulius after the quarry operator who uncovered the New Brunswick finding, Laurie Sanford.

“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of local people, quarry operators, and citizen scientists and the key role that they play in New Brunswick discoveries in palaeontology,” said Mr. Stimson in the release.

He called the tree unique, with the museum describing the tree as having “extensive foliage around a slender trunk, with an astonishing abundance of leaves clustered close together.”

Ms. King said the area where the plants were discovered is rich with fossil evidence.

“That region and New Brunswick in general has a lot of interesting things coming out of it. So from a scientific perspective, this is just one of many discoveries,” she said.

“The tree was just a beautiful way to kickstart a lot of what’s going on in the Norton area from a scientific point of view.”