Illustration of Camp del Ninots, Spain, during the Pliocene epoch (5.3-2.6 million years ago). A snapping turtle (family Chelydridae), newts (subfamily Pleurodelinae) and fish are visible. Camp del Ninots was the site of a volcanic eruption around 3 million years ago and a lake subsequently formed in the volcanic crater. It is now a valuable palaeontological site as the conditions in the lake sediment allowed minimal decay of the organisms that died there. As a result, many well preserved fossils have been found at the modern site.