Study Reveals Rain, Not Eruption, Preserved Top Dinosaur Fossils
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Interesting Engineering
A new study challenges the long-held belief that volcanic eruptions preserved the world's best-preserved dinosaur fossils in China's Yixian Formation. Researchers now suggest that periodic sediment accumulation from seasonal rains and the collapse of animal burrows created oxygen-free environments conducive to fossilization. This process preserved the fossils over a short period of about 93,000 years, capturing exquisite details of the ancient ecosystem. The findings highlight the role of ordinary sedimentation processes rather than extraordinary volcanic events in fossil preservation.