Becomes the Nation's Top Fossilized Tree Natural Monument

Pohang Geumgwang-ri Cenozoic Tree Fossil... Reaches 10.2m in Height
Clues to Secrets of Korean Peninsula Vegetation 20 Million Years Ago

The rocks distributed in the Pohang area of Gyeongbuk are special. They are not igneous rocks formed by cooling hot magma. Instead, they are mudstones, hardened from accumulated fine mud. During their formation, organisms were deposited together, often appearing as fossils.

A representative example is the 'Pohang Geumgwang-ri Cenozoic Tree Fossil' stored in the storage facility of the Natural Monument Center at the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. Professor Kim Hangmuk's team from Pusan National University excavated it in 2009 at the construction site of the national road (Ilwon~Mundeok) in Geumgwang-ri, Donghae-myeon, Nam-gu. It measures 10.2 meters in height and 0.9 to 1.3 meters in width, making it the largest tree fossil discovered in Korea. Its preservation is so good that it almost gives the illusion of a living tree.

On the 4th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced plans to designate it as a national natural monument and manage it accordingly. Opinions from various sectors will be collected for a month, followed by a review by the Cultural Heritage Committee to finalize the designation.

The 'Pohang Geumgwang-ri Cenozoic Tree Fossil' boasts a size comparable to other tree fossils worldwide. Numerous knots (the base parts of branches embedded in the tree body), wood grain, and growth rings are preserved on the surface and cross-section in nearly circular form. It is evaluated as a clue to unraveling the secrets of the vegetation and sedimentary environment of the Korean Peninsula about 20 million years ago. The preservation state varies from the surface to the center, clearly showing the fossilization process of the wood.

The tree species is inferred to belong to the gymnosperm conifer family, based on the boundaries and widths of the growth rings, and the arrangement characteristics of internal vessels and cells. It is judged to be similar to present-day Metasequoia or Sequoia. Lee Geunyeong, a natural monument officer at the Cultural Heritage Conservation Bureau, said, "Additional research is needed to reach a precise conclusion."

This tree fossil has been managed almost as a natural monument since its discovery. In 2011, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage carefully lifted it with three forklifts and transported it using a vibration-free vehicle. Together with the Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center, they removed foreign substances for three years, applied chemicals to prevent cracking, and performed conservation treatment by joining fragments.

Officer Lee said, "Large tree fossils are precious natural heritage protected as natural monuments or national parks overseas," and added, "We hope the 'Pohang Geumgwang-ri Cenozoic Tree Fossil' will be reborn as the first natural monument tree fossil in Korea."