From LiveScience.com: Ancient Rainforest Revealed in Coal Mine.

Scientists exploring a mine have uncovered a natural Sistine chapel showing not religious paintings, but incredibly well preserved images of sprawling tree trunks and fallen leaves that once breathed life into an ancient rainforest.

Replete with a diverse mix of extinct plants, the 300-million-year-old fossilized forest is revealing clues about the ecology of Earth’s first rainforests. [continue]

Thanks to Nikki for writing to tell me about this story.