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Article: Geologist's discovery offers clues to climate's evolution UWM's Isbell finds southernmost forest fossils in Antarctica
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- April 15, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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In a towering mountain range in Antarctica, a geologist from the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has found fossil traces of forests
farther south than ever detected on the frozen continent. The
evidence uncovered by John Isbell in Antarctic excavations last fall
were the fossilized stumps of trees up to 2 feet across that once
grew within about 300 miles of the South Pole.
Isbell said the forests, which existed 275 million years ago,
offer clues to the evolution of ancient climates and, perhaps, the
future of our own.
"This is a significant find," said John Kutzbach, professor of
atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UW-Madison, in part because of
the difficulty of locating such ...