30,000-Year-Old Vulture Feathers Discovered, Uniquely Preserved in Volcanic Ash

Scientists have found well-preserved fossilised feathers of a 30,000-year-old griffon vulture in the Colli Albani volcanic complex near Rome, Italy. The new research suggests that the feathers were encased in volcanic ash, which later transformed into silicon-rich zeolite crystals. The researchers believed that this might have retained the structure of the vulture’s delicate tissues. Interestingly, this is the first time researchers have discovered of such preservation in volcanic material.

Unprecedented Preservation Through Zeolite Crystals

According to the study published in Geology revealed that the feathers were fossilised in three-dimensional form. This contrasts with the usual fossilization process, where feathers leave two-dimensional carbon imprints. Interestingly, all the previous three-dimensional feather fossils were only found in amber. The research team was led by Valentina Rossi, a paleobiologist at University College Cork in Ireland. He added that the zeolite minerals had played a critical role in maintaining the feathers’ microscopic details. Speaking to Live Science, Rossi described the discovery as unique. He also told the publication that the feathers preserved in volcanic ash had never been documented before.

As per the report, the fossil were initially discovered by a landowner in the foothills of Mount Tuscolo. The report further added that during the course of time, most of the specimen was lost, leaving only part of one wing, the head, and the neck. Recent reanalysis identified even finer details, including the structure of the vulture’s eyelids and skin. According to Dawid Iurino, associate professor in vertebrate paleontology at the University of Milan, the bird was likely buried in a low-temperature pyroclastic deposit. He explained to Live Science that in most cases volcanic environments destroy organic material. However, in certain conditions it allowed the soft tissues to be fossilised at a cellular level.