Low tide reveals ancient forest dating back thousands of years off St Michael's Mount

An ancient forest which is about 6,000 years old has been uncovered near Mount's Bay in Cornwall - thanks to a particularly low tide.

The submerged forest in Mount’s Bay has been known about for centuries, but it is rare for so much evidence of the ancient trees to be uncovered.

But shifting sands and extremely low tides have uncovered more of the ancient forest than has been seen for years.

Tuesday, March 30 has brought the lowest tide of the year for Cornwall, at just 0.32m for Mount’s Bay.

The last time a significant number of tree stumps and roots were uncovered at Chyandour beach in Mount’s Bay, next to Penzance, was following the Valentine’s Day storm in 2014.

Using radiocarbon dating on the peat beds at the time, geologists know the extensive forests extended across Mount’s Bay between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago.

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