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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Science
Alistair Evans and Anthony J. Martin

Fossilised log reveals secrets of 120 million-year-old polar forests

Termites are a key part of many environments - (Getty Images/iStock)

Imagine a lush forest with tree ferns, their trunks capped by ribbon-like fronds. Conifers tower overhead, bearing triangular leaves almost sharp enough to pierce skin. Flowering plants are both small and rare.

You’re standing in what is now Victoria, Australia, about 127 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Period. Slightly to your south, a massive river – more than a kilometre wide – separates you from Tasmania. This river flows along the valley forming between Australia and Antarctica as the two continents begin to split apart.

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