Actinodaphnoxylon zileensis Akkemik et Mantz. in Akkemik, Mantzouka, Tunç & Koçbulut

The detailed geology of the area was studied by Koçbulut et al. (2015): The basement of the area is composed of the Permo-Triassic Turhal Metamorphics and Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Ferhatkaya and Carcurum formations of Amasya Group are defined on Turhal Metamorphics. Çekerek Formation lies on Maestrichtian aged Artova Ophiolitic Melange (Figure 1-3). The studied fossil woods are mostly found at the bottom levels of Göynücek Volcanics with Lutetian age belonging to Çekerek Formation. According to the field observations and fossiliferous structure, the age of the layer with the silicified woods is dated to the Mid-Eocene. On the Göynücek Volcanics, terrestrial sediments formed by the alternation of Mio-Pliocene aged conglomerate, sandstone, claystone in the region were investigated as the Çerkeş Formation. These units are located on other units with angular unconformity. Quaternary river terrace sediments, travertines and alluviums are located unconformably on all these units (Figure 2).
The volcanism ceased in the middle Maastrichtian, and the interval between late Campanian and middle Eocene in Central Pontides is represented by a thick sequence of siliciclastic and calciclastic turbidities. Coeval sequences in the south are shallow marine and are separated by unconformities. The marine deposition in the Central Pontides ended in the Middle Eocene as a consequence of collision of the Pontides with the Kırsehir Massif. The deposition starts when the distal parts of the passive continental margin enter the subduction zone, which leads to the uplift of the active margin. This process leads to the development of retro forearc basins filled with turbidities. A critical stage in the collision is reached when the whole of orogen is lifted above sea level: this corresponds to the end of the Lutetian (Middle Eocene) in the Central Pontides (Okay et al. 2018).
The Eocene volcano-sedimentary successions around the study area are represented by shallow marine sedimentary units at the lower parts and lava flows and volcanoclastic units at the middle to upper parts. The field data from the region provided by Göçmengil et al. (2018) demonstrated that middle Eocene magmatic units along the post-collision zone concomitantly developed in a wide area and triggered the magmatism controlled by the region-scale delamination and/or lithospheric removal processes.
The transgressive sequence consisting of conglomerate, sandstone, sandy limestone, limestone, claystone and marl intercalation, located in the south and north of the Çorum river valley in the study area and seated on the older units with an angular unconformity, was first defined and called as Çekerek Formation by Özcan et al. (1980). The unit crops out widely on the northern and southern slopes of the Çorum stream valley in the study area. Çekerek Formation consists of a transgressive sequence consisting of gray-yellow colored sandstone, claystone, clayey limestone, sandy limestone, limestone, marl alternation, starting with pebbles at the bottom.