The oldest, standing forest preserved as wood has been found at Bükkábrány, Hungary. An open-pit mine working Upper Miocene (Pannonian) lignite revealed sixteen stumps, 1.8 to 3.6 m diameter at base, preserved up to 6 m height, standing on top of the coal bed. Suddenly rising water level of Lake Pannon drowned the forest 7 Ma ago. Sand of a prograding delta covered the landscape, preserving the
trunks in waterlogged condition. A brief review of the environment allowing preservation is provided here, and investigations in progress are outlined
