Trending News: The Elephant Trunk Rock, a famous landmark in Taiwan, collapsed on December 15, 2023. The rock s collapse was due to erosion caused by seawater and wi
A famous natural attraction in northern Taiwan, the Elephant Trunk Rock, is no more. According to officials, the rock formation, which got its name from its resemblance to an elephant trunk, collapsed into the sea on Saturday.
The finding, published today in the journal
Scientific Reports, is the result of reconstructing an unusual trace fossil that they identified as a burrow of these ancient worms.
According to the study’s lead author, SFU Earth Sciences PhD student, Yu-Yen Pan, the trace fossil was found in a rocky area near coastal Taiwan. Trace fossils are part of a research field known as ichnology. “I was fascinated by this monster burrow at first glance,” she says. “Compared to other trace fossils which are usually only a few tens of centimetres long, this one was huge; two-metres long and two-to-three centimetres in diameter. The distinctive, feather-like structures around the upper burrow were also unique and no previously studied trace fossil has shown similar features.”