The volcanic structure of the Mátra was not favourable to the preservation of fossils, on the peripheries, however, one can find impressive remains both in the area of the diatomite mine in Szurdokpüspöki and further away, in the vicinity of Mátraszolos. The site of fossils deposited on the southern foot of the mountains is less spectacular but rather significant (the vicinity of Rózsaszentmárton and Visonta). The preserved fossils, remains of plants, nummulites, remains of shells and snails and imprints of fish prove that there used to be a warm sea with lagoons here. The coal reserves that can be found at the foot of the Mátra indicate that a marshy forest rich in plants (pinaceae, alder, beech, oak, salicaceae) covered this area in the last phase of the Miocene. At the time of the last ice age, cool climate was already dominant in the mountain range, which is demonstrated by the remains of numerous creatures. Among these, the most famous find is the almost intact skeleton of a mammoth found in the vicinity of Mátraderecske.