Gilboa Fossils - Gilboa, NY
Posted by: ripraff
N 42° 23.872 W 074° 26.827
18T E 545502 N 4694100
This is a roadside display of some of the oldest tree fossils. It is along Route 990V
Waymark Code: WMYGZ0
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/15/2018
Views: 0
The original town of Gilboa was displaced by the Schoharie Reservoir. These fossils were discovered during the construction of the reservoir. The trees predate the dinosaurs by 140 million years during the Devonian period.
Geocache Earthcache: (
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Wikipedia (
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"These findings have helped to determine that Eospermatopteris belongs to the Cladoxylopsida class, which were big vascular plants with spectacular morphology for their time. One reason scientists are so fascinated by these trees is that they were part of "afforestation," the original greening of the earth. That process had a major impact on the planet's climate, carbon cycling and, ultimately, what kinds of animals evolved in these ecosystems."
Mystery unravelled (
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"Two years ago, researchers at the State Museum called Stein to report the discovery of what they thought was an "odd specimen," a fossil complete with an extensive trunk system and a crown attached...The fossil, more than 12 feet long, offered the first evidence of how big and complex the trees were and what their tops, or "aerial portions," looked like...Though they're now extinct, Stein can point to possible modern-day descendants of these trees -- including ferns and horsetails -- as he walks through the campus greenhouse."
Visit Instructions:At least one good photo you have personally obtained and a brief story of your visit. Any additions or corrections to the information about the Waymark (for instance, have the hours open to the public changed) will be greatly appreciated.