10 million-year-old tree fossils found in Kayseri, Türkiye

Professor Osman Ozsoy announced that tree fossils dating back about 10 million years were found in a region in Kocasinan district of Kayseri

Researchers and experts discovered approximately 10 million-year-old tree fossils in the Kocasinan district of Kayseri.

Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage (CEKUL), and Obruk Cave Research Group have been working on creating an underground inventory of Kayseri since 2013. Professor Osman Ozsoy, provincial representative of CEKUL, emphasized the project’s uniqueness in Türkiye and its importance in documenting and preserving the region’s rich underground heritage.

“At this stage, six publications have been released. One study even led to the discovery of fossils in Kayseri. The geological predictions and knowledge of our researchers in the Cave Research Group brought us here. Last November, while working in Kayseri, objects at a suspicious location caught our attention. We checked the literature and the shapes and found a tree fossil, previously mentioned in Usak and Kizilcahamam Soguksu National Park. This region is exceptional for fossilized trees, with almost no other region in Türkiye so well preserved,” Professor Ozsoy explained.

Discovered for first time in Kayseri

He added, “This is the first time a tree fossil has been discovered in Kayseri, and experts will give the final word. With this discovery, everyone has become more observant. We now look at the ground and surroundings with a different eye. This new perspective and cave explorations revealed suspicious formations and geological shapes. Upon careful examination, this section shows a high possibility of tree fossils. We can see some of the tree rings on these fossilized structures. It’s not a very large area, but it’s possible to see the roots, branches, and part of the trunk very easily.”

The location where we discovered the tree fossil is newly identified in Kayseri. Experts will determine the type of trees, the extent of fossilization, and their age. Literature in Türkiye indicates some fossils date back 20 million years. Fossils in Kayseri are dated to 8 million years ago, suggesting these tree fossils are at least as old. The exact details – such as tree types, root depth, and preservation reasons – are still a mystery. ‘A 10-million-year-old forest found in Kayseri’ would be a striking headline. These findings could greatly benefit the Museum of Natural History and Paleontology planned for Kayseri,” Ozsoy concluded.

Source: Newsroom