Two Creeks Buried Forest State Natural Area, State natural area in Manitowoc County, United States.
Two Creeks Buried Forest is a protected area on the Lake Michigan shoreline that displays an ancient forest layer buried beneath glacial deposits. The site contains well-preserved tree stumps, branches, needles, and moss remains from a time when the region supported a dense woodland.
The site was established as a protected area in 1967 and shows evidence of forest growth about 13,700 years ago during a warming period between glacial advances. The buried tree remains come from a time important to understanding the environmental history of the Great Lakes region.
Scientists and researchers study this location to understand the chronology of glacial movements and environmental changes in the Great Lakes region.
Entry to the area is free and the shoreline is accessed through easy walking paths that lead to the exposed forest layers. Visitors should prepare for changing weather since the location sits exposed to the elements along the water.
Radiocarbon dating of the preserved trees shows they grew for several hundred years before glacial material covered them completely. This extended growth period makes this forest remnant especially valuable for reconstructing ancient climate patterns.
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