48 million years ago, the pit was a small but very deep lake, originally at least deep. It was located around 10° south of its current location in a tropical and subtropical Eocene Europe. Messel Pit was volcanic in origin, probably a caldera created by a massive volcanic eruption. It remained geologically and tectonically active during the Eocene, intermittently releasing puffs of poisonous volcanic gases. A virtually stagnant lake, its low oxygen levels enabled the types of preservation found in its fossils.