In ice samples from Greenland, the remains of ancient plants were revealed. They were nearly one mile (1.6 km) below the ice, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Drilling of a glacier in the northwestern part of Greenland was carried out back in 1966. But then the samples of the frozen sediment were lost for several decades. They were accidentally discovered in 2017. In 2019, University of Vermont scientist Andrew Christ examined the samples under a microscope. He expected to see sand and stones, but instead found branches and leaves. This indicated that Greenland was ice-free and covered in moss (and possibly trees) in the relatively recent past.
Christ, along with colleagues from Columbia and Copenhagen universities, analyzed the remains of the leaves. He noted that ice sheets usually destroy everything in their path. But the delicate structures of the plants are perfectly preserved, as if they were alive yesterday.
“This is a time capsule showing what once lived in Greenland,” the scientist emphasized.
Research has shown that Greenland has been free of ice for the past million years, and possibly longer. The ice melted completely during the relatively recent warm periods on the planet, and therefore it may happen today.