- Lead: Diego Volosky (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena).
- Location: Atacama-Wüste, Nord-Chile.
- Period: Triassic (approx. 252 to 201 million years ago).
- Discovery: Highly complex ecosystem with fish, insects, and plants in an excellent state of preservation.
Jena/Chile, 08.02.2026. It is a find that paleontologists often dream of for a lifetime: an international research team under the leadership of the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena has achieved a remarkable discovery in the Chilean Atacama-Wüste. The scientists uncovered a fossil site that stands out not only for its diversity but, above all, for its state of preservation, shedding new light on Earth’s history.
A Window into the World of Gondwana
Led by Diego Volosky from the Institut für Geowissenschaften at the Universität Jena, the team—consisting of researchers from Germany, Chile, and Argentina—investigated rock layers in Nord-Chile. What is today one of the driest deserts on Earth was, over 200 million years ago during the Triassic period, a vibrant freshwater lake on the former supercontinent of Gondwana.
The yield of the excavations is of the highest scientific importance. Fossilized remains of plants, insects, freshwater crustaceans, and mollusks, as well as fish and sharks, were found. “Such complete and diverse fossil communities are rare, especially given the age of the fossils,” says Diego Volosky, putting the discovery into context. The results have now been published in the renowned journal “Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology.”
Why the Finds Are So Well Preserved
The quality of the fossils, in particular, has left the scientific community in awe. Normally, soft tissue structures decompose quickly or are destroyed by scavengers. In this case, however, specific geological conditions provided a form of time-capsule preservation. According to the Universität Jena, oxygen-poor conditions prevailed at the bottom of the former lake. Fine-grained sediments covered the remains quickly and airtight.
The result is fossils with an enormous depth of detail: insects have been preserved entirely, fish skeletons still show skin impressions, and even the delicate reproductive organs of land plants are visible. This allows researchers not only to identify individual species but also to reconstruct a complex food web and the entire paleo-ecosystem of the southern hemisphere.
Jena Expertise in an International Team
The discovery once again underscores the importance of geosciences in Jena. Alongside project leader Volosky, Olga Schmitz is also involved, conducting research as a micropaleontologist at the Universität Jena and the Max-Planck-Institut für Geoanthropologie. Her expertise was crucial in extracting tiny seed shrimp (ostracods) from the rock samples. These microscopic organisms often serve as important indicators of environmental conditions at the time.
Peter Frenzel, head of the Paleontology working group at the Universität Jena, described the collaboration and the find as a “stroke of luck.” The current publications are only the beginning of a larger research project. Further steps aim to clarify how life recovered from the massive mass extinction at the end of the Paleozoic era—a question that could also provide insights into today’s climate changes and their impact on ecosystems.
The team will now focus on further cataloging the finds and refining the reconstruction of this prehistoric habitat.