plunger and nature enthusiast Dawn Watson has been exploring the North Sea off the East seacoast of England formore than 15 days , but a serial of recent outcome led her to stumble upon something lurking in the water system that she had never seen before : an ancient , prehistoric timberland dating back some 10,000 years .
The remains of the forest were find around 300 meters off the coast of Norfolk by volunteerSeasearchdiver Watson during a trip to study maritime life in the area . Shortly into the dive , rough piss near the shoring forced Watson slightly off path , which head her to the unexpected internet site . Watson toldthe BBCthat at first , all she could see was “ an enormous wave of grim stuff , ” but she extend search and soon find herself engross in a huge sprawling of previous oak Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , lie flat across the sea story .
“ To depart with I thought it was a piece of shipwreck because it wait like a piece of hull , ” Watson explain tothe BBC . “ It was n’t until I had a really secretive look that I realized it was really solid wood . ”
It ’s probable that the ancient forest bilk the eye of adventurer for so long because it was bury beneath layer of sediment . But it probably first became exposed when a storm that struck the coast last wintertime budge thousands of tons of sand around , reveal the immense collection of tree trunks and subdivision , some of which are eight meters in duration .
According to scientists , the forest is around 10,000 years old and forms part of a prehistoric land mass make love as Doggerland , which linked the UK to mainland Europe . Alongside thick forests , Doggerland would have consisted of salinity marshes , Alfred Hawthorne and estuary . The realm was so immense thatMesolithic hunter - gatherersresiding in this forgotten land would have once been able to travel on foot to Germany . However , around 20,000 days ago , rising ocean story began to slowly flood the area , transform it from a wildlife - ample paradise to a low - consist , quaggy island . tribe were eventually impel out of the area over clock time , but straggler were probably wiped out by a tsunami that triggered a ruinous sub - ocean landslide some 8,000 age ago .
Fishing boats trawling the North Sea have dragged up a plethora of relic from the indweller of this prehistoric worldly concern , include beast clappers , human remains and artefact such as Axis and bone points . However , scientist had no ideathat remnants of the woodland still exist so close to the UK ’s East coast . Now that the veil has been swipe , Watson and her collaborator Rob Spray will proceed to review the nautical life that inhabit the ancient timberland , which has been transformed into anatural reefhousing an copiousness of divers organism .
[ ViaBBC News , Reuters , The Independent , Washington PostandScience Alert ]
