Standing under North Silver Falls and looking up at the ceiling provides a glimpse of a helluva way to die. We're looking up chimney-like tubes that were once tree trunks. Those trees were growing on what I take to be a nearly flat alluvial plain, developed atop the previous Columbia River Basalt flow, which is visible as the sloping bedrock (not the loose boulders, which fell off the overhanging ledge) in
this photo. Judging by the number and size of these casts, the trees were not as large, nor the forest as dense, in this location as during modern times. It may have been more like the modern valley floor, with the more sparse oak-savannah style of vegetation, but I'm speculating on that. Then the next CRB flow came along and drowned the trees in fire. I feel bad for them, but I'm awfully glad they left such nice fossils.
Incidentally, this was taken at approximately the same location as the other people were standing in yesterday's photo.
Photo unmodified. August 30, 2012.
FlashEarth Location (approximate).
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