4000 Year Old Flutes

NOTE: Some links on this page relevant to the wood’s origin take you offsite to the US Geological Survey website. Please use the BACK button on your browser to return to this page when visiting these links.

Ancient Wood

In the fall of the year 2000 I made a discovery that intrigued me. A man was selling a small amount of what he was calling 4000-5000 year old wood. I contacted him and heard what he knew about this unusual find. Part of what is written here is based on information he provided while part I have discovered from other sources. All evidence indicates this wood is from trees that were alive and growing around 2000-3000 BC, some 4000-5000 years ago.

This wood is recovered from a lahar on Mt Rainier in Washington State. A lahar is a volcanic mud/debris flow. To quote from the US Geological Survey: "Hot rock fragments flowing over glacier ice and snow generated huge quantities of melt water, which mixed with the rock debris to form lahars." Over time there have been many lahars formed on the slopes of Mt. Rainier and most are well studied. The particular formation where this timber was exposed has been dated at 4000-5000 years by the US Geological Survey.

Not too long ago the Nisqually River washed out a small portion of the lahar exposing these timbers. A fellow was out collecting downed timbers when he noticed the pieces exposed in this ancient formation. He took his heavy equipment over a salmon stream in order to pull the timbers free. Unfortunately for him, he was caught in the act. Trudging back and forth across a salmon stream with heavy equipment is, needless to say, frowned upon.

This guy’s equipment and the recovered timbers were confiscated and sold at auction. For a short time, wood suppliers in the Mt Rainier area had an obviously limited supply of this visitor from the past. The primary species I have from this recovery are Fir and Cedar (mostly Fir).

You can look here to see a map of the area, notice the Nisqually River and associated green marked lahar areas.

This US Geological Survey page discusses radiocarbon dating from wood recovered from a similar mudflow in this area.

As another bit of evidence, I contacted a researcher in ancient woods in Georgia. Did I mention, I'm a research biologist myself? It's hard to come across a puzzle like this and not pursue familiar paths to track down as much information as possible. Evidence includes the appearance of the wood itself. The wood at first glimpse looked like modern fir and cedar but had a distinct olive-green tint. I reported this to the researcher of ancient wood. His comments indicated that this type of discoloration throughout the wood was consistent with having been encased over a period of many centuries in an anaerobic (oxygen-free), mineral rich environment. This of course is precisely the environment you find in an ancient volcanic mud/debris flow.

This color change, together with the US Geological Survey identification from these well documented lahars gives a very reliable estimate of the age of materials enclosed in the depths of these formations.

I have sought independent radiocarbon dating but the researcher I know who has done this in the past is no longer providing this service. I may seek another facility to test a sample from these specific pieces, but even without that final bit of evidence the history, location and characteristics of this wood seem conclusive evidence for an age between 4000 - 5000 years old.

4000 Year Old Flutes

Flutes made thus far are of the Fir and have a rich tone similar to those made from modern coniferous woods. The rich coloration is quite distinct. Thus far, Spring wood (fast growth) is a rich gray-green color. The more dense Summer wood is a deep olive green. Upon finishing with linseed oil and beeswax, the dark green Summer growth rings reveal a gold sheen that looks like tiny flakes of gold in the wood.

If anything, the enormous amount of time these timbers spend encased in their volcanic tomb enhanced the tone of these unique flutes. They are truly gifts from another time.

Listen to the sound of 4000-year-old wood brought back from a volcanic tomb. To listen to the second flute in this series, click the following link to go to the DOWNLOADS page: