China discovers the earliest ancient forest found to date, revealing the discovery site and plant species

A forest is a biological community dominated by woody plants, with a wide variety of functions. And recently, the earliest ancient forest found to date has been discovered in China! Where was it found? What plants were in it?

1. China discovers the earliest ancient forest found to date!

An ancient forest dating back about 371 million years has been discovered in Xinjiang. This is the earliest ancient forest found in China to date, more than 10 million years earlier than the era when ancient forests appeared on a large scale. The forest is distributed in the Tacheng Prefecture of Xinjiang, China, and is mainly composed of lycopsids, Archaeopteris, and cladoxylopsids. At present, only lycopsids still exist, but their morphology has also changed significantly compared with their ancient ancestors.

2. Where was the earliest ancient forest found in China to date discovered?

It is reported that the earliest ancient forest discovered this time is located in the Tacheng Prefecture of Xinjiang, China. The Tacheng Prefecture is located in the northwest of Xinjiang, China, between longitude 82°16′-87°21′ east and latitude 43°25′-47°15′ north. It borders the Altay Prefecture to the northeast, is connected to the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture and Shihezi City along the Manas River to the east, borders the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and the Ili Prefecture along the Iren Habirga Mountains and the Borohoro Mountains to the south, adjoins the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture to the southwest, and borders Kazakhstan to the northwest.

3. What plants were in the earliest ancient forest found in China to date?

This ancient forest was mainly composed of lycopsids, Archaeopteris, and cladoxylopsids. At present, only lycopsids still exist, but their morphology has also changed significantly compared with their ancient ancestors.

1. Lycopsids

Lycopsids were the most flourishing plants of the late Paleozoic era, especially during the Carboniferous period, when they were most abundant. They were quite widely distributed and often formed tall trees and large forests.

2. Archaeopteris

Archaeopteris has the morphological characteristics of ferns and the anatomical characteristics of gymnosperms. It has been widely reported from strata of the middle to late Devonian around the world. Its trunk was thick and tall, with secondary growth similar to that of modern trees, making it the first truly modern tree.

3. Cladoxylopsids

As early as 390 million years ago, cladoxylopsids appeared, nearly 200 million years earlier than the appearance of dinosaurs. What did they look like? Scientists cannot give an accurate answer or depiction. But in the earliest ancient forests, cladoxylopsids made up about one third of the forest plants.

The earliest ancient forest found in China to date provides a scientific basis for paleontological research and is also a discovery of great significance.