Dinosaur Eggs Found In Tamil Nadu? Not Quite, Turns Out They Are Ammonite Sediments
When images of 'dinosaur eggs' found in Tamil Nadu's Perambalur district became viral on the internet, it seemed like a great discovery. But it proved to be a false dawn.
When images of 'dinosaur eggs' found in Tamil Nadu's Perambalur district became viral on the internet, it seemed like a great discovery. But it proved to be a false dawn.
As per a TOI report, experts have determined that these 'eggs' are actually ammonite sediments.
A group of local geology and archaeology enthusiasts, who visited the area, identified them as such.
TNN
Ammonite (ammonoids) were a large and diverse group of marine species that arose during the Devonian period (around 416 million years ago).
The group found ammonite sediments in a water body called the Kunnam tank. ¡°The marine species should have been trapped in the process of concretion for centuries. It was misconceived as dinosaur egg,¡± said Ramesh Karuppiah who led the group. The present-day Ariyalur and Perambalur in central Tamil Nadu were once a seabed, he said.
The group comprised members from Kalmaram Kappom (save fossil tree) and Mannin Mainthargal (sons of the soil).
TNN
The group also identified a fragment of a fossil tree in the Aanaivari stream, a floodwater stream that originates in the northeastern side of Kunnam.
The fossil measured seven feet in length and 30 inches in thickness.
"There were such fossil trees and ammonites found in Perambalur district in the past. The vicinity is known for such finds. It is suggested that preserve the finds at the same place where they were found. If it is brittle, the fossil may disintegrate while relocating to museums," a source in the Geological Survey of India official said.
