Hungary: Discover an ancient forest of 8 million years old

Located in the Bukkabrany region, northeastern Hungary, this primitive forest is unusual in that the trees still retain the wood structure and not be turned into coal or fossils.

In the natural environment of the swamp, the stems of trees buried in coal are often occurring. But deeper in the ground, archaeologists found 16 stalks still preserved where they had grown 8 million years ago, very well preserved in shape and wood. primitive.

Want to admire these ancient trees, you have to go down to a depth of about 60m in a 3,500m2 mine that has been excavated. The rest of them are 2-3m in diameter and about 6m high, although the original cypress swamps must be 30 to 40 meters high.

Remaining in special condition

During the geographic period of the earth called ' Miocene ', starting over 10 million years ago, this land was covered by a large lake with mud and swamps. It is Lake Pannon.

The special preservation status of the trunks is due to a sudden sandstorm, covering the forest with a layer of sand up to 6m thick. The entire upper part of the trunk is gradually destroyed over time, but the part buried under the sand is preserved intact. The trunk is 8 million years old, and still feels like touching the wood. Because it was 60 meters deep underground, these trees were unable to move away and they were not destroyed because of the air and sunlight, which were two special factors that damage the age. life of wood.

The miraculous discovery

Since the discovery of this ancient forest, strict security measures have been established, all access to the mine site is limited. Archaeologists have begun to take measures to preserve and preserve the trunk.

Bukkabrany marshes can have a lifespan of 300 to 400 years at the time of their death, and those trees did not grow at the same time. That means scientists can study the region's climate change over a period of 1,000 to 1,500 years.