A sensational research result is reported from the Styrian Ausseerland: a pine tree was recovered in the Altaussee. It turned out to be 1400 years old! But the underwater forest in the lake holds even more secrets.
The underwater forest in the Altaussee has been a mystery since it was discovered in the 1970s. At the initiative of the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans, extensive research has therefore been carried out since 2019 together with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna and the federal forests as landowners.
“Using a remote-controlled underwater robot and a high-resolution multibeam echosounder, an accurate 3D model of the lake basin was created. It shows, among other things, a wide variety of sediment formations, large boulders, crater-shaped underwater wells and about 100 standing tree trunks with a height of one to about fifteen meters, spread over the entire lake,” reports project manager Erwin Heine (Boku).
Found from a depth of 18 meters
As part of the ongoing research project, an approximately ten meter high tree trunk, which lay more than 100 meters from the shore at a depth of approximately 18 meters, was removed from the lake and examined dendrochronologically. “The result of determining the age of the wood exceeded all our expectations: the tree started growing as early as 600 AD – that is, in the early Middle Ages,” says Rudolf Freidhager, head of the Bundesforste.
To get the log, which weighs some six tons, from the bottom of the lake, it had to be moved with a winch for a tractor cable, lifted to the surface with three lift bags and then pulled ashore by the fire. brigade with a boat. “The tree has 247 annual rings and died in AD 859,” explains Michael Grabner of the Boku’s Institute for Wood Technology and Renewable Resources.
There are still more mysteries to be solved
How the approximately 100 tree trunks got into the lake – for example due to a tectonic event, or whether they grew on site – is being investigated further. However, it was clearly proven that the tree trunk is a silver fir.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
