Barely 20 million-year-old 62-foot-high petrified tree discovered in Greece, with branches and roots still intact, has been preserved by an ancient volcanic eruption
- A 62-foot petrified tree was discovered during roadworks in western Lesbos
- It is the first tree fossil in the region that still has branches in good condition
- The orientation of the tree confirms that there is a second volcano on the island
- Some petrified trees are so lifelike that bark and cellular structures are visible
Scientists in Greece have discovered a rare petrified tree with its branches and roots after millions of years.
The 62-foot tree was found during roadworks near a jungle on the island of Lesbos that was petrified by a volcanic eruption about 20 million years ago.
Petrified wood is actually a fossil that is formed when a tree is covered with volcanic ash and its organic remains are slowly replaced by minerals.
The tree was removed from the road with a special splint and metal platform and will be displayed in the next few months.
This is the first time that a conservation tree in such good condition has been found in the area since the excavations began in 1995.
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A petrified 62-foot tree was discovered on the Greek island of Lesbos with its branches and roots still intact. Scientists link the fossil to a volcanic eruption about 20 million years ago
Nikos Zouros, a geomorphologist from the Natural History Museum of the Lesbos Petrified Forest, calls it a ‘unique find’.
“To date, no corresponding trunk of a petrified tree with intact branches has been found, which has been kept in good condition to this day,” Zouros said.
“It is kept in excellent condition and from studying the petrified wood we will be able to see the type of plant from which it comes.”
Lesbos ‘petrified 37,000-hectare forest is protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is the result of a volcanic eruption 20 million years ago that suffocated Lesbos’ subtropical ecosystem in lava.
According to researchers, the orientation of the tribe confirms the existence of a second volcano on Lesbos
After it fell, the tree was preserved by a thick layer of volcanic ash.
A large number of fruit tree leaves were found in the same place, just like different animal bones.
“During the excavations, the various forests that existed on Lesbos between 17 and 20 million years ago are exposed and we can reconstruct the ecosystem that existed during that period,” Zouros said.
The well-preserved trunk was discovered during demolition work on asphalt along Kalloni-Sigri Road in the west of Lesbos.
This is the first time a conservation tree has been found in such good condition in the area since the excavations began in 1995.
“It is kept in excellent condition and from studying the petrified wood we will be able to identify the type of plant from which it comes,” say researchers.
“The tree is in its original growth position and it looks like the force of the volcanic eruption laid it on the ground where it was found,” Zouros said.
The orientation of the tribe confirms the existence of a second volcano on the island, he added.
Petrified wood is formed when plant material is buried by sediment in such a way that it is protected against decay by microorganisms.
The original substance of the plant is eventually replaced by minerals such as silica, pyrite, calcite, according to Geology.com, resulting in a fossil that can retain details of the bark’s bark and even details of its cellular structures.
Petrified wood is formed when plant material is buried by sediment in such a way that it is protected against the decay by microorganisms.
Another petrified tree in Lesbos’ Petrified Forest National Park. Some trees are so well preserved that even bark and cellular structures are still visible
Some petrified wood is so ‘lifelike’, it is not clear that it is fossil before anyone tries to pick it up.
Petrified trees can hardly provide insights into ecosystems from millions of years ago: in August, scientists in Peru discovered a petrified tree that is about 10 million years old, indicating how the environment in Mount Andes has changed dramatically.
Although the fossil was found more than 13,000 feet above sea level, its anatomy was much like that of wood found in low-altitude tropical forests.