Forest of 260 million years old on South Pole

milwaukee - On the South Pole, traces of a forest that grew more than 260 million years ago were still around the world for dinosaurs. High in the Antarctic mountains scientists found fossil remains of thirteen trees.

The earth was 260 million years ago from two continents: Gondwana in the south and Laurazia in the north. Antarctica was part of Gondwana, including South America, Africa, India and Australia, and was much warmer and humid than today. The area was probably covered with mosses, ferns and plants, where especially small animals lived.

Despite the temperatures, the trees had to survive extreme conditions. In the summer the sun did not go down and it was light in the middle of the night. In winter, it remained dark. From the fossils, scientists conclude that the trees quickly changed from summer to winter. Their autumn did not last for a month.