How do volcanic deposits like zeolites preserve soft tissues?
Volcanic deposits, particularly those rich in ash, can preserve soft tissues through the formation of zeolite minerals.
Volcanic deposits, particularly those rich in ash, can preserve soft tissues through the formation of zeolite minerals. In a 2025 study, researchers analyzed a 30,000-year-old fossilized vulture from the Colli Albani volcanic complex in central Italy. They discovered that the bird’s feathers were preserved at the microscopic level within nanocrystalline zeolite, a mineral formed by the alteration of volcanic ash in the presence of water.
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