Bosque fósil de Punta Pelluco, Natural Reserve and fossil forest in Puerto Montt, Chile.
The Bosque fósil de Punta Pelluco is a natural intertidal platform with about 111 alerce tree stumps distributed across an area of roughly 100 by 400 meters along the Reloncaví Sound coastline. The remains sit in a zone accessible by walking along the coastal paths that connect local neighborhoods.
These tree remains date back about 50,000 years and were brought to the surface by the 1960 earthquake, which lifted the coastline. That event exposed the buried stumps, which have remained visible since then.
The preserved tree stumps show how the local environment changed over long periods and serve as an important study site for researchers interested in regional history.
The tree stumps are best seen at low tide when the water recedes and exposes the ground. You can explore this site by walking along the coastal paths that pass through the area.
This is the only known fossil forest of this tree species in Chile and was naturally preserved under volcanic sediments. The stumps offer rare insights into the forest landscapes that covered this coast tens of thousands of years ago.
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