Signs of a prehistoric forest have been discovered on the shoreline north of Tywyn.
But now tides and winter storms have exposed evidence of a similar forest on the other side of the Dyfi Estuary.
Cllr Quentin Deakin, who made the discovery, said: “I regularly walk or run these shores at this time of year to see if anything new has been brought to light by the scouring action of wave power. Last Sunday the storm beach - that is the grey pebble - had been raked up, revealing a black petrified tree trunk attached to peat below. The peat below was full of ancient twig and branch fragments. A week later and this site is once again under the sand, deep under it.
“I’m just an amateur when it comes to archaeology, but Martin Bates from Lampeter University, has confirmed that this sighting marks ‘an important addition’ to our knowledge of the extent of the prehistoric forest on the submerged land surface that lies alongside the present shoreline of Cardigan Bay.
“At the next two meetings of the Tywyn and District History Society we will be looking again at this and other fresh evidence around the legends of Cantre’r Gwaelod, sometimes described as the ‘Lost Atlantis’ of Wales.
“There is evidence of human activity on the now submerged land, though not yet of human settlement, at Borth and I believe on the south shore of Tywyn.
“The professionals must have the final word though and Martin Bates will be talking to the 8 April meeting of the History Society to tell us more.”
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