Fossil wood trees in Gia Lai largest in Vietnam?

Dong Xanh Park, Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province displays a fossil tree with the introduction of 'Vietnam's largest fossil wood tree millions of years old .'. However, it is not the largest fossil wood tree in the country.

The fossil tree mentioned above was found in the Chu A Thai crater, Ajunpa district, Gia Lai. Fossil plants are also found in many other localities.

Among petrified plants, the woody species are either quartz-like or agate-coded most favored by the rock scene. When polished and polished, they are striking and give a very nice color.

Most of these fossils are found in Quang Nam, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Lam Dong provinces. Many large size petrified logs are bought by collectors for storage or crafting, for sale for VND2-30 million.

Petrified wood plants displayed at Dong Xanh Park are not the biggest in Vietnam. It is only two-thirds of fossil wood trees located at the Vietnam Museum of Nature (18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi). However, fossil wood trees displayed in the museum are 1.6 - 1.8m in diameter but not necessarily the largest in the country.

In Vietnam, plants in the form of fossils are found in many places. The oldest is the phytoplankton (Lycopodiophyta) plant dating back to 400 million years in the Devonian (geologic name is named after the Devon region in England, where these century rocks were first studied). This fossil is found in Dong Van and Ha Giang areas; Nui Ton and Thai Nguyen regions; on Tra Ba, Van Canh and Ngoc Vung islands, Van Don and Quang Ninh districts; Ky Son and Nghe An districts. They are very small in size: 2 - 3mm in diameter, 4 - 5cm long.

Fossil wood plants dating back about 170 million years are located in the Dong Xanh Park.

The second ancient plant fossil, dating back 380 million years, belongs to the set of scales (Lepidodendrales) in the Devonian period, with a diameter of 1 - 5cm, 20 - 50 cm long. They are found in the layers of sand crystallized into quartz on the peninsula of Do Son, Hai Phong City; Mo Nhai area, Bac Son and Lang Son districts; in limestone schist at Hoa Da, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh.

Plant fossils dating back to 250 - 203 million years consist mainly of fern delegates (Polypodiophyta) and gymnosperms (Gymnospermae) found in the coal deposits of Permian and Triassic in Quang Nam provinces. Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Nam. However, most of the trunk has turned into charcoal and left only traces in the form of leaves.

Plant fossils date back to 175-135 million years belonging to the delegates of ferns and gymnosperms in the Jurassic period. This type of fossil occurs in the areas of Tho Lam and Quang Nam; Binh Son, Quang Ngai; Ea Sup, Dak Lak; Ajunpa, Gia Lai.

Plant fossils have a history of less than 53 million years of the Third Century (lasting about 65 million years ago), mainly composed of angiosperm representatives (Angiosphermae). This fossil is found in Na Duong coal mine, Lang Son; Na Cap, Cao Bang; Hoanh Bo, Quang Ninh; Bach Long Vi Island, Hai Phong City; in the valley of the Red River Delta; Phan Luong, Phu Tho; nearby Tuyen Quang city; Van Yen, Co Phuc, Yen Bai; Sai Luong, Hang Mon, Son La; Khe Bo, Nghe An; Cheo Reo, Phu Tuc, Gia Lai; Bao Loc, Di Linh, Lam Dong; in boreholes in Binh Trung, Nha Be, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Mieu, Dong Nai; Phung Hiep, Hau Giang; Nam Can and Ca Mau.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Hung (Vietnam Nature Museum)