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70 Causes of Geological Change 



SUBMARINE FORESTS. 



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Although these are not uncommon In Europe, accord- 

 ing to geological writers, they seem to have been unno- 

 ticed in this country* But I am inclined to believe them 

 common enough along our coast. They consist of the 

 remains of ancient lowland forests, now submerged a few 

 feet below the sea, though sometimes laid bare at low 

 water. The vegetables found in them are such as now 

 grow in swamps along the coast ; and peat is not un- 

 commonly found. Tills is the case, according to Lt. 

 Jonathan Prescott, in the harbor of Nantucket, where 

 was found one of these forests, when it was dredged, 

 under the direction of that gentleman, a few years since. 

 The stumps and masses of wood discovered there were 

 maple, oak, beech and cedar. (Cupressus thuyoides.) 

 These were very much decayed, except the cedar, which 

 was nearly as sound as ever. These relics were buried 



by four feet of sand, and lay about eight feet beneath 

 low water mark. 



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I have ascertained the existence of similar submarine 

 forests at Holmes' Hole, on Martha's Vineyard, near the 

 southwest extremity of that island, on the north shore; 

 on the north side of Cape Cod, extending several miles 

 into Barnstable Bay ; and on the shore of Provincetown 

 harbor, opposite the village. But as I have not been 

 able to give these places much examination, I hope this 

 slight notice will excite the attention of gentlemen favor- 

 ably situated along our coast for observing these and 

 other cases of the same geological phenomenon. 



Submarine forests must have resulted either from the 

 elevation or subsidence of the land or the ocean. And 

 since they generally occur under similar circumstances. 



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