Hiker Steps into 280-Million-Year-Old Fossilized World in Italian Alps

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-21 21:44:22 | Updated at 2024-11-22 02:57:05 5 hours ago

Hiker Steps into 280-Million-Year-Old Fossilized World in Italian Alps
Popular Mechanics ^ | November 21, 2024 | Tim Newcomb

Posted on 11/21/2024 1:34:07 PM PST by SunkenCiv

A stunning fossilized world containing remnants of amphibians, skin prints, plants, and seeds was discovered in the melting glacier ice of the Italian Alps.

Experts date the now-exposed lost world to about 280 million years ago.

The site was found by a hiker over 5,500 feet above sea level...

Scientists are learning that in real time after discovering an entire Paleozoic-era ecosystem, which had previously been hidden under snow and glacier. The paleontological site—located in the Orobie Valtellinesi Park in the Italian Alps—is so well-preserved that researchers discovered everything from footprints of amphibians and reptiles and fossilized plants and seeds to skin prints and fossilized raindrops...

Paleontologists discovered imprints of thin fingers, trails of long and curvy tails, and even ripples of waves on the shores of ancient lakes. The site remained completely concealed (and well-preserved) for millennia—until, that is, the current rapidly warming climate caused snow and ice to melt away. By 2023, enough of that cover had melted away for hiker Claudia Steffensen to notice some odd marks on the rocks...

She snapped photos and sent them to Elio Della Ferrera, a nature photographer friend of hers who passed the images along to the Natural History Museum of Milan. From there, a team of researchers photographed and mapped hundreds of fossil traces at the site. they are still emerging on the vertical walls of the area and in the landslide accumulations below, sometimes as high as nearly 10,000 feet above sea level...

Natural History Museum of Milan, said in a statement. He added that he believes the site contains examples of footprints from at least five difference animal species...

The animal traces are joined by fossilized foliage, stem fragments, and seeds.

(Excerpt) Read more at aol.com ...

TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: alps; fossil; godsgravesglyphs

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1 posted on 11/21/2024 1:34:07 PM PST by SunkenCiv

To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

Thanks for the link!

2 posted on 11/21/2024 1:36:26 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)

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