A possible Late Miocene fossil forest PaleoPark in Hungary

The oldest, standing fossil forest in the world preserved as wood occurs at Bukkabrany, Hungary. An open-pit mine working Upper Miocene (Pannonian) lignite revealed sixteen stumps, 1.8 to 3.6 m basal diameter, preserved up to 6 m in height, standing on top of the lignite bed. The trees were preserved by the suddenly rising water level of Lake Pannon which drowned the forest seven million years ago. Sand from a prograding delta covered the landscape, preserving the unmineralised trunks in a anoxic waterlogged condition. This fossil forest, a wonderful example of a possible PaleoPark, is a unique part of the patrimony of Hungary and Earth which could be preserved for the future, but it is endangered by lignite mining operations.