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Hiker Discovers Ancient Ecosystem: 280-Million-Year-Old World Unveiled

A 280-million-year-old hidden realm was stumbled upon inadvertently by a
a woman during her hike in the Italian Alps
.

In 2023, Claudia Steffensen and her spouse were hiking through the Valtellina Orobie Mountains Park in Lombardy when she noticed a light gray stone adorned with ‘unusual patterns.’

As she took a closer look, she recognized that the patterns were indeed animal footprints.

Steffensen forwarded images to a scientific group that concluded the tracks were from
a ancient reptilian creature that traversed the planet
During the Permian era, which came right before the time of dinosaurs.

A more detailed examination of the area caused paleontologists to discover hundreds of additional fossilized tracks created by at least five different species of early reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

Although these creatures lived before the time of dinosaurs, some must have reached substantial dimensions, possibly measuring from six to twelve feet in length, according to statements made by researchers.

The group also discovered impressions of plant fossils—such as remnants of seeds, leaves, and stems—as well as marks left by raindrops and waves on the ancient lakeshore.

Lorenzo Marchetti, a co-researcher and specialist in trace fossils at the Museum of Natural History,
Berlin
mentioned that the prints were maintained with ‘remarkable’ clarity, including details such as ‘fingernail marks and the stomach skin of certain creatures.’

The intricate details and exceptional preservation of these fossils can be attributed to their close association with water in the past, as the researchers pointed out.

The old ecosystem, which exists at elevations up to 10,000 feet and within valley floors, has been conserved in finely layered sandstone.

Paleontologists similarly recognized claw marks and imprints from the undersides of these creatures.

“The footprints were created when these sandstones and shales were initially layers of wet sand and mud along riverbanks and lake edges, which would occasionally dry out depending on the season,” explained co-researcher and paleontologist Ausonio Ronchi from the University of Pavia.
statement
.

Ronchi further explained, “The summer sun dried out these surfaces until they became so hard that when fresh water returned, it didn’t wash away the footprints. Instead, it coated them with a new layer of clay, providing protection.”


The Permian period extended from 299 million to 252 million years ago.


Throughout this era, the worldwide climate quickly heated up, eventually resulting in a major extinction event that concluded this phase and wiped out 90 percent of all life on Earth.

Paradoxically, contemporary global warming facilitated the uncovering of this ancient high-altitude environment, since the fossils were previously concealed beneath snowpacks that have now thawed due to the planet’s rising temperatures.



“The findings in the Ambria Valley are also a result of climate change,” stated Doriano Codega, who serves as the president of the Valtellina Orobie nature park.
The Guardian
.

The remarkable aspect was the elevation where these artifacts were discovered – they were located at considerable heights and remarkably intact. The region experiences frequent landslides, which led to rock movements uncovering these fossils.

From 1850 onwards, due to human-induced climate change, Alpine glaciers have experienced a reduction of 30 to 40 percent in their surface area and about half of their total volume, with an extra loss of 10 to 20 percent occurring since 1980, as reported.
Mont-Blanc Research Center for Alpine Ecosystems (CREA)
.

The finding of these fossils provides insight into an old environment ravaged by severe global temperature increases. Consequently, it also acts as a warning about the consequences we face as human-induced warming approaches critical thresholds.

“These fossils … indicate an ancient geological era, yet they show a pattern of global warming strikingly akin to what we’re experiencing now,” the scientists stated.

‘The past holds many lessons about the risks we face as we shape the world today.’

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