Three new silicified woods from a newly discovered earliest Miocene forest site in the Haymana Basin (Ankara, Turkey)

Abstract

Petrified woods from Turkey have provided important information on forest composition and structure during the Miocene. This study describes a new fossil forest site at Haymana in Ankara Province, Anatolia (Turkey) and furthers our understanding of the prevailing Miocene vegetation. Woods identified from this site confirm the presence of two new fossil-species: Zelkovoxylon yesimae U. Akkemik & I. Poole sp. nov. and Pistacioxylon ufuki U. Akkemik & I. Poole sp. nov. Although Zelkovoxylon has been described from other Miocene site, Pistacioxylon is the first record of this genus in the palaeobotanical record of Turkey. The taxonomic composition hints at a xeric-low mountainous forest prevailing under a semi-dry climate. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.