Ancient Sea Critters Found Perfectly Preserved in Volcanic Ash: Unveiling a Trilobite Pompeii

Trilobite fossils are a common sight in natural history museums, but they usually only preserve the hard exoskeleton of these ancient marine arthropods. Soft body parts are rarely found and often obscured. However, a new study published in Science reveals the discovery of remarkably well-preserved trilobite fossils in volcanic ash. These fossils, which are around 509 million years old, provide the most complete examples ever found, preserving not only the antennae and walking legs but also the mouth structures and entire digestive system in three dimensions. The fossils were preserved in a similar way to the bodies at Pompeii, with high-speed clouds of ash rapidly burying and cementing the trilobites in place. This discovery sheds light on previously unknown features of trilobites and highlights volcanic ash deposits as a valuable source for exceptionally preserved fossils.