<
https://theconversation.com/a-botanical-pompeii-we-found-spectacular-australian-plant-fossils-from-30-million-years-ago-222512>
"The Australian continent is now geologically stable. But volcanic rocks, lava
flows and a contemporary landscape dotted with extinct volcanoes show this
wasn’t always the case.
Between 40 and 20 million years ago – during the Eocene to Miocene epochs –
there was widespread volcano activity across eastern Australia. In places such
as western Victoria and the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, it was even more
recent.
Erupting volcanoes can have devastating consequences for human settlements, as
we know from Pompeii in Italy, which was buried by ash when Mount Vesuvius
erupted in 79 CE. But ash falls and lava flows can also entomb entire forests,
or at least many of the plants within them.
Our studies of these rare and unique plant time capsules are revealing
exquisitely preserved fossil floras and new insights into Australia’s botanical
history. This new work is published in the journal
Gondwana Research."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
