In 1918, a remarkable discovery was made deep within the coal mines of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, when miners stumbled upon a petrified tree stump nestled within a seam of coal.
This extraordinary find takes us back roughly 300 million years to the Carboniferous Period, a time when expansive, swampy forests thrived in the area. Over eons, the plant matter from these ancient woodlands was buried and transformed into coal, creating a captivating record of the ecosystem that once flourished here. This fossilized tree stump stands as an incredible window into prehistoric Pennsylvania, when the landscape was a rich, green mosaic of life. It serves as a striking reminder of the natural history resting just beneath our feet, along with the complex processes that have shaped the fossil fuels we rely on today.
