Ancient forest found preserved under Gulf of Mexico waters
  |   July 9, 2013 at 6:10 PM MOBILE, Ala., July 9 (UPI) --
Scuba divers say they've discovered an ancient forest of Bald
Cypress trees preserved underwater in the Gulf of Mexico off the
coast of Alabama.  The forest, covered by ocean sediments and
preserved in an oxygen-free environment for more than 50,000
years, was likely exposed by 2005's Hurricane Katrina, Ben
Raines, one of the first divers to explore the forest, told The
forest of well-preserved trees covers an area of a half square
mile off the coast of Mobile, Ala., at a depth of about 60 feet.
The trees could contain thousands of years of climate history
for the region in their growth rings and reveal secrets about
the climate of the Gulf of Mexico thousands of years ago, during
a period known as the Wisconsin Glacial period, when sea levels
were much lower than they are today, Grant Harley at the
University of Southern Mississippi said.  Bald Cypress trees can
live 1,000 years, he said.