Fossils of an ancient forest thought to be responsible for one of earth's most dramatic climate shifts have been discovered by British researchers.
The remains of the 380 million-year-old trees, with stumps still preserved, were found on Svalbard - the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
Academics believe the forests had grown near the equator when they were alive and could hold the key to the cause of a 15-fold reduction in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
The find was identified and described by Chris Berry of Cardiff University's School of Earth and Ocean Science.
Dr Berry said: "These fossil forests shows us what the vegetation and landscape were like on the equator 380 million years ago, as the first trees were beginning to appear on the earth.
"The forests in Svalbard were formed mainly of lycopod trees, better known for growing millions of years later in coal swamps that eventually turned into coal deposits.
"They also were extremely dense, with very small gaps - around 20cm - between each of the trees, which probably reached about 4m high."
A university spokesman said Professor John Marshall, of Southampton University, accurately dated the forests to 380 million years ago.
Scientists believe there was a huge drop in carbon dioxide levels during the Devonian period (420-360 million years ago), thought to be largely caused by a change in vegetation from diminutive plants to the first large forest trees.
Experts say forests such as these pulled carbon dioxide out of the air through photosynthesis - and saw temperatures on earth greatly reduce.
Dr Berry, who previously worked with American colleagues in identifying an older forest in upstate New York, added: "This demonstrates that there was already geographical diversity of forest plant types and ecology just as soon as they had evolved."
The research has been published in the journal Geology.
Share
