- Who: Research team led by Diego Volosky (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena).
- Where: Atacama-Wüste, Northern Chile.
- What: Discovery of an unusually rich fossil deposit from the Triassic (approx. 252–201 million years ago).
- Significance: Excellent preservation of insects, fish, and plants from a freshwater lake.
Jena. It is a find that is causing a stir in the scientific community and once again underscores the importance of research from Jena on the international stage. A multidisciplinary team led by scientists from Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena has made a remarkable discovery in the Chilean Atacama-Wüste. They stumbled upon a fossil site that offers a detailed look into a long-gone era of Earth’s history.
A Window into the Age of Gondwana
The desert region in northern Chile, known for its aridity and inhospitable conditions, was a completely different place millions of years ago. The current finds are dated to the Triassic, a geological period roughly 252 to 201 million years ago. At that time, the giant southern continent of Gondwana still existed, uniting the present-day landmasses of South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
Led by Diego Volosky from the University of Jena, the group—comprising researchers from Chile, Germany, and Argentina—investigated the rock layers of a former freshwater lake. The result exceeded expectations: a variety of fossils were found, including plants, insects, freshwater crustaceans, mollusks, as well as fish and sharks.
Exceptionally Good State of Preservation
Finding fossils is not a sensation in itself in paleontology. However, the quality and diversity of this find are. “Such complete and diverse fossil communities are rare, especially considering the age of the fossils,” explains expedition leader Diego Volosky. The site reveals a complex food web that has been preserved almost without gaps.
This preservation was made possible by specific geological conditions. Fine-grained sediments and low-oxygen conditions at the bottom of the former body of water protected the delicate organic remains from scavengers and natural decay. The level of detail is astounding: insects were preserved in their entirety, and skin impressions are even visible on fish skeletons. Reproductive organs of land plants were also identified. For the region, some of the animal groups, particularly certain insects and fish, even represent new scientific records.
Jena Expertise in an International Team
The success of the excavations is also a result of the close networking of the Jena university. Peter Frenzel, head of the Paleontology working group at the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Jena, called the collaboration with Diego Volosky a “stroke of luck.” But the university is not the only one involved. The Max-Planck-Institut für Geoanthropologie in Jena also contributes expertise.
Olga Schmitz, a micropaleontologist at both institutes, used her expertise to extract microscopic ostracods (seed shrimp) from the rock samples. These tiny creatures, usually smaller than a millimeter, are important indicators of past environmental conditions. The team now includes more than ten institutions from the three participating countries and has published its initial results in the scientific journal “Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology.”
Significance for Future Research
The look back also serves to understand long-term ecological processes. The Triassic period followed the largest known mass extinction in Earth’s history at the end of the Paleozoic. Studying how life recovered and responded to global environmental changes back then provides vital data for understanding today’s ecosystems.
According to Peter Frenzel, the current publication is only the prelude to a larger research project. The next step is to refine the paleoecological reconstructions and determine the found species with even greater precision.
For the “Lichtstadt” Jena, this is further confirmation of its reputation as a center for excellent geoscientific research.