Animal Pompeii in Northern China

Huge ash clouds in volcanic eruptions have preserved dinosaurs, mammals, and many other creatures in what is now northern China before about 130 million years ago.

This had probably been torn by so-called pyroclastic flows into surrounding waters , report Chinese and U.S. researchers in the journal " Nature Communications " . The animals and plants are therefore similarly well received as the victims of the Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD in the ancient city of Pompeii .

For the creatures of northern China before 130-120 million years ago from the Yixian and Jiufotang - rock formations, there is a fixed term : Jehol biota. Numerous , often obtained with many tissue structures remains of plants , insects, fish, frogs , mammals and dinosaurs have been discovered in the area.

The deposit belongs to the most impressive at all from the Mesozoic , the researchers write to Baoyu Jiang from Nanjing University in Jiangsu Province . Water and terrestrial species were to be found there in the same soil layers . The cause of the mass extinction would have long been regarded volcanic eruptions. However, it should have been unclear exactly what happened and why the remains are so extraordinarily well preserved.

The researchers have now studied 14 bird and dinosaur fossils of various particularly important sites in the region and the sediments therefore more accurate. All remains were enclosed by a thin layer of volcanic ash , they report. In addition, they would have had signs of charring . This suggests that the animals in pyroclastic flows were killed , extremely hot clouds of solids and gases that can race down the slope during the eruption of a volcano.

Bu Haber için yorum yapabilirsiniz 12.08.2014 21:31:53 204.236.235.245

Yorumlar()