Palaeozoic stromatopores were much more porous than previously thought

Figure caption: Thin section of a stromatoporoid (hypercalcified sponge) from the Silurian of Gotland in transmitted light (right, TL) and fluorescent light (left, FL). Orange arrow indicates the stromatoporoid skeleton, purple arrow points to a gallery, and white arrows shows an example of a microgallery. Yellow dashed lines mark outline of FRIC crystals (picture from Dworczak et al. 2026, FACIES, vol. 72, no. 18).

Modern LEDs and digital image processing in fluorescence microscopy make it possible to visualise skeletal structures that would otherwise be impossible (or very difficult) to detect in thin sections. Patrycja Dworczak, who is currently working as a postdoc with us at the GZN in Erlangen (Germany), has, together with her co-authors, applied this method to demonstrate that some Palaeozoic stromatoporoids originally possessed highly porous skeletons. The article is freely accessible and can be downloaded here:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-026-00732-w

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