Cenozoic fossil wood becomes natural monument

▲ This photo, provided by Pohang-si, shows the 'Geumgwang-ri Cenozoic Fossil Wood.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) – The “Geumgwang-ri Cenozoic Fossil Wood,” which was discovered in Pohang, a city in North Gyeongsang Province, will be designated as a natural monument; the Fossil Wood will be the first domestic wooden fossil to become a natural monument.

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) will soon designate and announce the fossilized tree from the Cenozoic era, unearthed in Geumgwang-ri, as a nationally designated cultural property and natural monument on Friday, according to Pohang City Government on Thursday.

The 10.2-meter-high, 0.9 to 1.3-meter-wide, and 0.3-meter-thick fossil will be the largest among wooden fossils ever found in South Korea. The Wood Fossil boasts a height equivalent to the third floor of a building and also enormous weight that three forklifts had to be incorporated to lift the fossil.

The Fossil was excavated by a team led by Professor Kim Hang-mook of Pusan National University in 2009 during an excavation survey for the construction of the Geumwang-ri Road. The old soon-to-be natural monument was then transferred to and stored at the Daejeon National Research Institute for Cultural Heritage.

The surface and cross-sections of the Fossil, such as the tree’s slobs, wood grains, and rings, are unprecedentedly well-preserved, close to the original shape; the fossilized wood is evaluated to be sufficient enough to be employed as data that can comprehend the vegetation and sedimentary environment of the Korean Peninsula about 20 million years ago.

In addition, the degree of fossilization varies from the tree’s surface to its center, which makes the Fossil a cultural property demonstrating the process of fossilization for trees.

Based on the result of wooden anatomical analysis synthesizing the boundaries and widths of the rings, internal tubes, and characteristics of the cell arrangements, the Fossil is deemed to share similarities with the Metasequoia (dawn redwood) or Sequoia tree species that can easily be spotted nowadays.

The CHA plans to open a special exhibition of the Wood Fossil exclusively opened to those who made reservations and will soon find a venue to hold regular public exhibition in the future.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “We will be transferring various fossils found in the region, including fossilized woods, to Pohang for easier public access.”

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)

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