70-Million-Year-Old Fossil Discovered at Turkey’s İznik Lake

Geologists led by Mehmet Yıldız, head of the South Marmara branch of the Turkish Chamber of Geological Engineers (TMMOB), announced the discovery of a roughly 70‑million‑year‑old pekten fossil on the shore of İznik Lake in the Narlıca neighbourhood of Bursa Province. The fossil, formed only in shallow marine settings, provides evidence that the area was once part of a shallow sea linked to the closing Tethys Ocean.

Yıldız also noted that the lake’s water level has fallen about one metre and that reduced flow in the nearby Göl Ayağı stream reflects broader climate‑change impacts on the region’s hydrology.