h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

interesting - ive been working with some wood dug up here on the west coast(of Norway) - the tree was something like 5 metres long and buried under some 5 metres - in sand - carbon dating put it at 7,000 years - the wood is fantastic to work and very similar in appearance to some wood i have in stock.
Slightly deeper down my neighbour found a layer of seaweed - perfectly preserved - dated at 12,000 years - he still has specimens so if anyone is interested -
The valley i live in is flat - definatly glacial in origin - mountains on 3 sides - open to the sea on the 4th - there are layers of sand - like beaches - across the valley at different places - id love to know more.

Shame i had hoped someone could tell me more - i know so little of geology and such -

Very interesting - have you spoken to anyone in the local university in Norway, who might be able to give further information? Some basic books on European geology might be a great help in assisting you with your understanding.

(Sorry I didn't respond so quickly. I've been away from H2G2 for a while - just coming back here again now).

Nice point - thanks, this is a very special place.

What, I think, is interesting about Scandinavia in general, is that during the Ice Age, the land was crushed underneath massive ice sheets, sometimes kilometres in thickness. After the glaciers retreated, the land started to rebound, rising up in the same way as if you put your finger into a rubber ball and watched the dimple slowly rise back up. However, at the same time, the melted ice was causing the sea levels to rise, so it's possible that the fjords were flooded and de-flooded many times during the few thousand years after the Ice Age melt. Those trees may not be there because of the tsunamis, but then again, it's possible.

There are a lot of questions - ive worked with bog oak and other woods from the uk - nothing like this - the wood is just a little grey, slightly fragile on end grain, but nothing spectacular.
The finder says that one branch was sticking up out of the ground and appears to have been growing - well, the dating i accept having seen the certificate - but its not exactly easy.
the farmers are draining the whole area - have dug up numerous trees of some size - all fir -

An interesting thing about wood is that it is often possible to date it exactly, given the tree ring pattern. I don't know if that applies in your case, but maybe worth looking into.

in this case a non starter - but an interesting idea -