In the information center you can find out about fossil forest of Evros, its importance and process fossilization. You can also admire unique fossils finds from tree trunks, leaves, corals, fish, shells, etc. aged 35 to 40 million years.
Fossilization is the process of preserving animal or plant remains as fossils. During the process of fossilization, the organic components of an organism are replaced by inorganic matter, under certain conditions. Thus, it is transformed into an inorganic body that maintains the shape and structure of the organism (main fossilization).
The creation of the fossilized forest of Lefkimi is directly connected with the volcanic activity of the wider area of Evros, where there were active volcanoes. Thus, during a period of intense activity, lava, pyroclastic materials, volcanic ash were thrown from the crater of the volcano, which covered the rich subtropical vegetation of the area. Simultaneously with the volcanic activity, hot solutions rich in dissolved silicon dioxide (SiO2) were created and thus an intense hydrothermal circulation began. The latter penetrated and permeated the volcanic rocks, in which the trunks of the trees, the leaves, the fish, the corals, etc. were already located. and so began the process of fossilization, that is, the replacement of organic matter by molecules of the environment, molecule by molecule. The result of this process is the creation of fossils. During the fossilization, which in the case of the fossilized forest of Lefkimi is perfect, the macroscopic morphological features of the tree trunks are preserved in excellent condition, e.g. the growth rings, bark imprints, etc. as well as the internal structure of the fossilized wood, from the microscopic study of which the genus or type of the fossilized log is determined. The same, of course, happened with the other findings.
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