Fossils survive volcanic eruption to tell us about the origi
Science Daily GeologyThe most recent eruption on the Canary Islands – at El Hierro in 2011 – produced spectacularly enigmatic white “floating rocks” that originated from the layers of oceanic sedimentary rock underneath the island. An international team of researchers used microscopic fossils found in the rocks to shed new light on the long-standing puzzle about the origin of the Canary Islands. Despite being violently transported through the volcano, some of the rocks produced by the El Hierro eruption contain microscopic fossils of delicate single-celled marine organisms, making the survival of these fossils all the more extraordinary.
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