Ελληνικά
English
Ἑλληνική ἀρχαία
Κυπριακά
~54.5 million years ago
Lesnes Abbey, Abbey Wood, London
- Age
- ~54.5 million years ago
- Period
- Lower Eocene
- Formation
- Harwich Formation (Blackheath Beds)
- Depositional environment
- Estuary and coastal swamp leading into a shallow sea
- Fossil types
- Shark teeth, bony fish, molluscs (gastropods and bivalves), plant seeds and fruits, crocodilian remains, early mammals, birds
- Paleoecology highlights
- Mangrove palm swamps, estuarine mollusc beds, lush tropical rainforest, calm shallow marine waters nearby
Imagine standing in steamy, tropical air where a slow-moving river winds through a dense jungle of broad-leaved trees and mangrove palms. Sunlight glimmers on the water’s surface, filtered through towering canopies and thick vines. On either side of the channel, the muddy banks are lined with stilt-rooted mangrove trees and low-lying ferns, while the scent of wet earth and salt lingers in the breeze. Just beyond the forest, the river opens into a warm, shallow sea - its gentle waves lapping at sandy shoals in the distance. This was Abbey Wood 55 million years ago: a vibrant, coastal rainforest alive with vegetation, nestled at the edge of a tropical estuary where land met sea in a humid world.
