Overview
- Researchers led by Dr. Debabrata Nandi reported the discovery during a field visit on Thursday that found fossil material locals call 'Asura Hadda'.
- The assemblage recovered from the Baripada Fossil Bed includes shark teeth and vertebrae, fish bones, mollusc shells and microscopic marine fossils, with sharks making up about half of the fish remains.
- Nandi and colleagues provisionally date the material to the Miocene, roughly 15 million years ago, but they stress that laboratory identification and formal dating are still needed.
- Palaeontologists and scientific institutions are collaborating to study the site and researchers have proposed protective measures, formal dating programs and development as a geo-heritage or fossil-park destination.
- If confirmed, the finds would shed light on how sea levels and coastlines changed during the Miocene, offer new research opportunities in Odisha and create local science and tourism prospects while requiring careful conservation.