Explosive Fossil Fruit Found Buried Beneath Ancient Indian Lava Flows
Published:27 Feb.2022 Source:Florida Museum of Natural History
Just before the closing scenes of the Cretaceous Period, India was a rogue subcontinent on a collision course with Asia. Before the two landmasses merged, however, India rafted over a "hot spot" within the Earth's crust, triggering one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth's history, which likely contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
In a recent study, scientists excavating the fossilized remains of plant material wedged between layers of volcanic rock describe a new plant species based on the presence of distinctive fruit capsules that likely exploded to disperse their seeds. The fossils may be the oldest fruit discovered to date of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), a group of plants with more than 7,000 species, with well-known representatives that include poinsettia, castor oil plant, rubber trees and crotons.