Salkhan Fossils Park

Salkhan Fossils Park
Sonebhadra Fossils Park, Sonbhadra Fossils Park

Location in India

Type fossil park
Location Salkhan, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nearest city Robertsganj (12 km)
Coordinates 24°35′18″N 83°02′27″E / 24.588380°N 83.040794°E / 24.588380; 83.040794Coordinates: 24°35′18″N 83°02′27″E / 24.588380°N 83.040794°E / 24.588380; 83.040794
Area 25 hectares (0.25 km²)
Created 2002
Operated by UP Forest Department
Type of fossils algae, stromatolites
Website www.sonebhadra.webs.com

Salkhan Fossils Park, officially known as Sonbhadra Fossils Park, is a fossil park in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located 12 km from Robertsganj, near Salkhan village on state highway SH5A in Sonbhadra district. The fossils in the park are estimated to be nearly 1400 million years old.[1]

Geography

The fossils found in the Sonbhadra Fossils Park are algae and stromatolites types of fossils. The park is spread over an area of about 25 hectares in Kaimur Range, adjacent to Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary. It comes under jurisdiction of the State forest department.[1]

Development and research

Geologists have been aware of the fossils found in the present-day park area since the 1930s. People who have carried out research in the area include Mr. Auden (1933), Mr. Mathur (1958 and 1965), and Professor S. Kumar (1980–81). On 23 August 2001, the area was featured in an article written by journalist Vijay shankar Chaturvedi for the Hindi newspaper Hindustan. Subsequently, it was formally inaugurated as a fossil park by District Magistrate Bhagawan Shankar on 8 August 2002.[1]

An international workshop was organised in December 2002, attracting participation from 42 delegates from India and abroad. Canadian geologist H.J. Hoffman was impressed by the fossils, and remarked that he had not seen such "beautiful and clear fossils" anywhere else in the world.[2] In 2004, research Mukund Sharma further explored the area.[1]

In 2013, the state government sanctioned 12.5 million for the development of Salkhan Fossils Park.[3]

References

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