The first findings on fossil trees area located in Banaz (Uşak)

Fossil forests are one of the important areas in terms of natural history, paleogeography and paleoclimatology. A new fossil forest was discovered in the area between the Tuzlagedik Tepe and the Sakizocak Tepe, Karatepe, the Alan Tepe, west of the Banaz district of Uşak province. In this area, silicified lateritic formations of Paleogene belonging to 2-60 meters thick are found in silicified tree fossils. The size of silicified tree fossils spread over a wide area reaches up to 1.5 m in length and 70 cm in diameter. The aim of this study is to diagnose these silicified trees, to determine the fossil forest characteristics and to evaluate paleogeography. Transverse, radial and tangent sections were taken from 4 samples which were examined macroscopically. As a result of the analysis it was concluded that silicified trees are Sequoioxylon. The presence of Sequoia trees, which don’t naturally spread in our country today, indicates that there is a marsh forest or riperian vegetation where temperate climatic conditions prevail during the Paleogene.