A Fossilized feather preserved with the volcanic rock. Credit: Edoardo Terranova
SciTechDaily brings news of a unique fossil discovery in Italy. A 30,000 year old fossil of a vulture shows that soft tissue can be preserved in volcanic rock deposits. The research was published in the journal Geology.
The vulture fossil was originally discovered in 1889 near Rome by a local landowner, who recognized its exceptional state of preservation. The entire body was fossilized as a three-dimensional impression, retaining remarkable details such as eyelids and wing feathers. The new research confirms that this preservation extends to microscopic feather pigment structures, offering unprecedented insight into ancient plumage.
Dr. Rossi said: “Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudrocks laid down in lakes or lagoons. The fossil vulture is preserved in ash deposits, which is extremely unusual. When analyzing the fossil vulture plumage, we found ourselves in uncharted territory. These feathers are nothing like what we usually see in other fossils”.
By analyzing tiny samples of the fossil feathers using electron microscopes and chemical tests, the team revealed that the feathers are preserved in the mineral zeolite, a mode of fossil preservation never reported before.
