Plants Bathed In FireWe recently posted an article about plant remains being preserved within fine g

Plants Bathed In FireWe recently posted an article about plant remains being preserved within fine grained mud deposits (http://on.fb.me/1LhD4DX). However, they can also be preserved in volcanic deposits as shown below. These photos are from the Erill Castell formation in the Spanish Pyrenees and show plants that became preserved when they were buried by a pyroclastic flow between 272 - 303 million years ago.The volcanic eruptions are associated with the Hercynian Orogeny (a collisional event associated with the formation of Pangea that produced a mountain chain), with felsic (silica rich) magmas producing numerous pyroclastic flows. These superheated flows of ash and other volcanic debris would bury any flora and fauna in their path, sealing them off from the atmosphere and aiding in preservation. In some parts of this rock unit black lignite and/or coal layers can be found, and it is thought these represented the charred remains of plants that remained exposed at the surface long enough to burn.- WatsonImage Credit: WatsonReferences:http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/record/505597http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/262841/Hercynian-orogenic-beltFurther Reading: 300ma Forest Preserved in Ash in Chinahttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17117223http://www.pnas.org/content/109/13/4927.full -- source link

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