Cambodia discovers oldest wood fossil ever

A team of experts from the Cambodian Ministry of Environment has confirmed the discovery of a fossilized wood specimen dating back between 250 million and 300 million years at the Phnom Kang Va mountain reserve near Serei Sophorn city in Banteay Meanchey province. This is the oldest fossilized wood specimen ever discovered in Cambodia.

Cambodia discovers oldest wood fossil ever. (Photo: Cambodian Ministry of Environment).

The head of the expert team, Mr. Lim Vannachan, Director of the Cultural Heritage Department under the General Department of Local Communities, Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, said that in addition to the above-mentioned wood fossils, the experts also discovered fossils of marine organisms in the excavation area. This shows that the fossils may belong to species of plants and animals that grew during the period when the area was an island in the Permian period about 300 million years ago, the final stage of the Paleozoic era.

Previously, experts discovered 14 wood fossil samples in Cambodia, in the provinces of Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear, Koh Kong, and Banteay Meanchey.

In 2022, a team of Cambodian and international experts also excavated the first dinosaur fossils, at the Koh Por conservation area in Koh Kong province. These fossils are believed to belong to the giant long-necked dinosaur group (Sauropod).

Excavation and research of fossil specimens in protected areas is part of Cambodia's environmental protection strategy, focusing on green, clean and sustainable development, protecting natural resources and serving scientific research.