By Isaac Schultz Published March 18, 2025 | Comments (0) | A fossilized feature in volcanic rock. Photo: Edoardo Terranova Fossilized feathers discovered 136 years ago are still revealing new secrets. Researchers found that the volcanic rock preserving the feather holds microscopic details preserved within the fossil. The teams researchpublished today in Geologyfound that the feathers are preserved in zeolite, a mode of preservation that hasnt been reported for soft tissues until now. Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudrocks laid down in lakes or lagoons, said Valentina Rossi, a researcher at University College Cork and lead author of the study, in a university release. The fossil vulture is preserved in ash deposits, which is extremely unusual. When analyzing the fossil vulture plumage, we found ourselves in uncharted territory. These feathers are nothing like what we usually see in other fossils. The Doom of the Alban Hillsa digital painting depicting a possible scene just before the vultures carcass was buried by the pyroclastic current. Dawid A. Iurino The soft sediments at the bottoms of water bodiesand for that matter, non-solid land, like mudslidescan cover dead organisms, keeping them from being scavenged and preserving their remains in deep time. But preservation in zeolitesaluminum- and silicon-rich minerals that are common in volcanic settingsis a new finding, one that could mean more volcanically preserved fossils down the line. The feather belonged to a vulture that lived in Italy some 30,000 years ago. The animals entire body was preserved in three dimensions, from the birds eyelids to the tips of its wings. Ergo: A feather fossil that is preserved down to the microscopic pigment structures in the fossils wing.We are used to [thinking] that volcanic deposits are associated with hot, fast-moving pyroclastic currents that will destroy soft tissues, said Dawid Iurino, the studys coordinator and a researcher at the University of Milan, in the same release. However, these geological settings are complex and can include low temperature deposits that can preserve soft tissues at the cellular level. Indeed, the volatile and extreme conditions of volcanic eruptions are surprisingly good at immaculately preserving the most delicate tissues, in the right circumstances. Last month, a team of researchers confirmed that the eruption of Italys Mount Vesuvius in 79, which devastated and buried the nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, also turned one victims brain into glasspreserving the organs microscopic axons and neurons in a solid state.Volcanoes spew hot gas, ash, and of course, lava when they erupt, often with fatal effects for life in their immediate vicinity. The nature of the vultures preservation is an encouraging sign that more extremely well-preserved fossils may lie in wait for paleobiologists to discover.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Margherita Bassi Published March 18, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published March 9, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published March 6, 2025 By Adam Kovac Published March 2, 2025 By Isaac Schultz Published February 27, 2025 By Adam Kovac Published February 21, 2025