Fourteen petrified trees dating about 18 million years were unearthed following rainwater drainage work near the famous Lesvos Petrified Forest in the west of the island.
The director of the Petrified Forest of Sigri Museum, Professor Nikos Zouros, told the Athenian-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA) that the trunks of the petrified trees, some with their branches intact, varied in age and were originally conifers or fruit-bearing trees.
“The trunks were in a very good state of preservation – they are impressive logs laid on successive strata, one above the other,” said Prof Zouros.
The way the trees were found was the result of intense volcanic activity that took place 18 million years ago. Prof Zouros said the trees which were part of an ancient valley were killed by blasts of hot gas from volcanic explosions and were then covered in ash. In the ensuing years, heavy rains washed away the ash and parts of the trees and the remnants were covered in layers of mud and were fossilised.
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Meanwhile, the remains of two-million-year-old animal fossils were also uncovered on the island last month. The discoveries showed that large mammals grazed on the eastern part of the island. To date excavations on the island have uncovered the remains of up to 500 identifiable specimens with many more fossils found of species that are yet to be classified.
“The research revealed hundreds of vertebrate bones that lived in Lesvos the geological period of the lower Pleistocene, that is, about two million years ago,” Prof Zouros said.
“The rich material of the paleontological excavations under study, testifies to the richness of the island’s fauna, reveals important facts about the fauna and ecosystems of the Eastern Aegean and the connection of the islands with the neighbouring Asia Minor peninsula.”