- A primeval forest of cedar formed next to the coast.
- About 2000 years ago, global warming caused a gradual rise in sea level.
- The primeval forest was transformed into a marsh. The cedar trees died,
leaving only their stumps behind.
- A further rise in sea level submerged the stumps, which were then buried beneath sand and clay.
- It is assumed that the sunken forest may have been protected from decay
by a plentiful supply of high-quality underground water from the Katakai
River, preserving it in good condition until now.
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- Most of the trees in the sunken forest are Japanese cedar.
- The largest are four meters in diameter and twelve meters in girth. They
are estimated to have lived to an age of about five hundred years. @@@@@
- The sunken forest has the potential to make an important contribution to
our knowledge of past changes in coastlines and of vegetation during those
periods. It was designated a Natural Monument in 1936 and a Special Natural
Monument in 1955.
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