In 1984, an amateur expert in Scotland found a remarkable model: a complete focus on appearing like a lizard or a salamander. Rather, small in size of 20 cm, it will come out an important piece in the animal’s evolution puzzle.
This creature, called Westlonia LiziaIs one of the initial examples of four -foot animal, which was ready from underwater to living on earth. These and other such steam are the common ancestors of tetrapids, embodiment, birds, crawling animals and artisans that are still present today, including humans.
Despite its importance, the researchers never determined the correct age of the foam. But thanks to the new research outside Texas University in Austin, scientists now know that Westlonia LiziaSimilarly, in Scotland, with a similar salamnder, is probably 14 million years older than previously thinking.
The new era – which is 346 million years ago – increases the importance of its search as it has placed the sample in a mysterious hole in a fossil record called Romer Gap.
This research, recently appeared in the journal Plus aFor, for, for,. Hector Garza was led by the Department of Earth and Planets at the UT Jackson School of Geoose so far. Garza took the risk when he began his mission that the ancient Jovim was used to use radiometric dating using geo -chemical techniques.
The reason for this is that when geographical experts can use zircon crystal to determine how long a rock was formed, all the types of an analysis of all rock are not effective. And in Scotland, the site where Jovasam was discovered was near the ancient volcano, with a lava flow in the basalt rock for a long time long. Long Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Lonely Long -lasting long -lasting long -term long -long parts were long -lasting parts, fellow scientists warned Garza that dating chemically from rocks could be fruitless.
“I think one of the reasons was that no one tried to go into them before,” Garza said. “Every time and effort that takes the Zurkin and then takes the risk of not finding anyone.”
But he became lucky. When the mud from the volcano came down, the flowing lava and the rubble eliminated the sesame, which contained the zircon, which flowed into a lake where lime stone was forming, decreasing the initial tetraped creature.
Garza X -ray of 11 rock samples at Jackson School and managed to remove Zarkan from a rock around the fossils. He then organized a uranium lead laser at Zarkon at Houston University to determine his oldest age.
Prior to Garza’s gambling, scientists thought that the foes were as old from all over the world as similar – about 33 331 million years old.
The more accurate, the maximum age is important at the age of 346 million as it keeps the samples in a romance difference. It is time to 360 to 345 million years ago, where scientists are not sure for reasons, very few fossils have been discovered. During this important point of history, the fish living in the water made evolutionary jumps, increasing lungs and four feet to become ground animals. This is a very important milestone in the history of animal evolution.
“I can’t promote the importance of East East Crackland Tetrapids,” said Julia Clark, a professor at Jackson School and co -author of the article. “The age of these stupids is the key to better understanding the time of the appearance of the vessels on the ground. As a result, time is the key to guessing why this transition happens when it happens and which factors can be linked to this event.”
In Scotland, the site where the focus was found is East Cricket Kan, a treasure trove of early tetraped records. Seven stem tetraped fossils, including Westlonia LiziaFound there. Hundreds of hundreds of years ago, when these four -footed creatures were roaming, the site was a tropical forest that had a nearby active volcano, a poisonous lake, and a diverse plant and an animal community.
The National Museum of Scotland provided Garza pieces of rock that were surrounded to use for samples. Other co -authors of the study are Associate Professor Elizabeth Katlos and Michael Brookfield, both the Earth and the Sciences at the Jackson School, and Professor and Chair of Environmental Sciences at Houston University.
