The Mineralogical Museum of the Department of Geography of the Vologda State University (VoGU) will add a paleontological find - a part of a fossilized tree from the Devonian period. A fossil of 300 million years old was discovered during a survey of the Andomskaya mountain - one of the main attractions of the Vytegorsk region, which is a geological natural monument, since it is here that the highest coastal cliff of Lake Onega is located, where Devonian sediments come to the surface.
"Unfortunately, every year the mountain collapses and becomes smaller. As a result of erosion, new layers of sediments are exposed here every year, in which one can find paleontological finds," said Nadezhda Maksutova, professor at VoSU, chairman of the Vologda branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Most of the fossils are formed by natural disasters such as climate change.
The discovered part of the petrified wood is covered with mineral layers on the outside, and inside it has a cavity with calcite crystals. Scientists explained that in the Devonian period, treelike horsetails and lyes lived on land, which did not have a core and root system. They easily fell to the ground, and over time, their organic tissues were replaced by minerals, which happened with the discovery of an ancient plant on the Andoma mountain.
The next, seventh expedition of the Russian Geographical Society within the framework of the "Together in the Russian North" project began on July 28 and will last until mid-August.