Lesvos Petrified Forest

The forest was formed from the fossilized remains of plants and trees, which can be found in many localities on the western part of Lesbos Island.

[2] The area enclosed by the villages of Eressos, Antissa and Sigri is very dense in fossilized tree trunks, and forms the area designated as the Petrified Forest of Lesbos, which is managed by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, and has been designated as a protected natural monument.

Isolated plant fossils can be found in many other parts of the island, including the villages of Molyvos, Polichnitos, Plomari and Akrasi.

[3] The petrified forest was formed by successive volcanic eruptions which took place between 17 and 20 million years ago, covering a large part of the island in lava and ash.

[citation needed][needs update] In respect of it having 'one of [the] most complete early Miocene forest ecosystem records of the world', the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the 'Lesvos Early Miocene Petrified Forest' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022.