As one of the largest Greek islands, Lesvos Island Global Geopark, is located in the northeast of Aegean Sea. Its area is 1,630 km2 and its shape resembles a plane tree leaf. The island is fertile with a vast range of vegetation, including silver olives, dark green pines, grey green oaks and unique wild flowers. On the western coast of Lesvos, the volcanic rocks meet the azure blue of the Aegean Sea, where the lapping of waves has slowly revealed the petrified remains of plant life belonging to the distant past. Let us take this opportunity to familiarise ourselves with another lost Atlantis that submerged in the ensuing "sea" of fire during volcanic eruptions in the Northern Aegean 20 millions years ago.

　　The most noteworthy concentrations of petrified trunks which constitute the renowned "Petrified Forest" are located in the regions of Sigri, Antissa and Eresos covering an area of over 15,000 hectares. Apart from petrified trunks, perfectly preserved petrified roots, fruit, leaves and seeds may be encountered.　　

　　The large number of standing petrified trunks with their root system being intact and fully developed, provides proof that these trees were petrified in their original position. Hence, this is an autochthonous petrified forest.

　　The Petrified Forest of Lesvos gives us considerable information regarding the composition and character of the paleoflora and climatic conditions of the distant past. Thus, this monument constitutes a natural document that has recorded the geological history of the Aegean basin of the last 20 million years.　　

　　Recognizing the major environmental, geological and palaeontological value of the area, the Greek State has declared the Petrified Forest as a Preserved Natural Monument. The aim of designating the Petrified Forest as such, is the effective protection and rational management of the area.　　

　　Today, the natural erosion of the volcanic rocks has revealed impressive standing and collapsed tree trunks with lengths of up to twenty meters and trunk diameters of up to three meters.

　　The Visiting Areas

　　The visitor of Lesvos has many alternatives in visiting the different concentrations of petrified tree trunks. These include the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest in Sigri, where a large variety of exhibits exists and the geological evolution of the Aegean Sea is shown in a very vivid way. Adjusted to the museum is the Sigri geopark, where the visitor can observe unique views of petrified roots. In addition, the nearby Plaka Geopark contains a great number of standing petrified tree trunks and unique fossilized leaves.