<p>Chennai: Marine fossils in Thoothukudi, which were exposed by torrential rains, have been dated back to the Holocene Period (between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago), according to a report by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). </p><p>The marine fossils, which were discovered at Panaiyur in Kulathur South panchayat in the district, were surveyed by a team of scientists from ZSI in January this year. </p>.Pollens hide keys to India’s climatic history.<p>“The assessment confirms a newly discovered Fossil Bed dating back to the Holocene period (8,000–12,000 years), which significantly enriches the Quaternary fossil record of India. This discovery is important because it helps us better understand India’s ancient wildlife, environment, and climate,” Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said. </p><p>The report said the Panaiyur fossil assemblage was assigned the tentative age based on its stratigraphic position, sedimentological context, degree of fossilisation, and comparison with dated quaternary deposits from the region.</p><p>“The fossil bed represents deposits formed during the Holocene marine transgression, when rising sea levels inundated previously exposed coastal plains and created extensive shallow marine environments suitable for sediment deposition and fossil accumulation,” the report added. </p><p>The report also said the assemblage indicated a shallow-marine to estuarine setting with mixed sandy-muddy substrates, moderate water circulation, marine to brackish salinity, and warm tropical temperatures.</p><p>The scientists collected a total of 104 fossil specimens belonging to four taxonomic groups from the phylum Mollusca. </p>
<p>Chennai: Marine fossils in Thoothukudi, which were exposed by torrential rains, have been dated back to the Holocene Period (between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago), according to a report by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI). </p><p>The marine fossils, which were discovered at Panaiyur in Kulathur South panchayat in the district, were surveyed by a team of scientists from ZSI in January this year. </p>.Pollens hide keys to India’s climatic history.<p>“The assessment confirms a newly discovered Fossil Bed dating back to the Holocene period (8,000–12,000 years), which significantly enriches the Quaternary fossil record of India. This discovery is important because it helps us better understand India’s ancient wildlife, environment, and climate,” Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said. </p><p>The report said the Panaiyur fossil assemblage was assigned the tentative age based on its stratigraphic position, sedimentological context, degree of fossilisation, and comparison with dated quaternary deposits from the region.</p><p>“The fossil bed represents deposits formed during the Holocene marine transgression, when rising sea levels inundated previously exposed coastal plains and created extensive shallow marine environments suitable for sediment deposition and fossil accumulation,” the report added. </p><p>The report also said the assemblage indicated a shallow-marine to estuarine setting with mixed sandy-muddy substrates, moderate water circulation, marine to brackish salinity, and warm tropical temperatures.</p><p>The scientists collected a total of 104 fossil specimens belonging to four taxonomic groups from the phylum Mollusca. </p>