FOSSILS ARE COLORFUL

Constituents all around the world that made up of nature are beautiful. When all these combine together, they produce various colors on Abiotic and Biotic factors. In the same way they sprinkle vibrant colors on the surface of rocks too. Let’s see a part of such glorious type of rock called “Sedimentary rock” of Cretaceous of Trichinopoly which comes under Mesozoic era.

In India, Ariyalur region is well known for sedimentary rocks that contain fossil preservation of Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Brachiopoda, Lamellibranchia, Chordates, vertebrates and flora with various colors like Copper Brown, Brown, Golden Pyritized, Yellow Ocher, Pale Yellow. The cause of such color variation is the mineral content in them and different stages of formation namely; Uttatur, Trichinopoly, Ariyalur and Niniyur formation. Due to strati-graphical change in the fossil bed layer, Niniyur formation turns to be the first layer.

NINIYUR FORMATION is the youngest bed aged 61 to 66 Million Year old of Danian stage of Tertiary period. Here Fossils could be found in Pale yellow color due to the presence of bulk amount of Limestone and shale.

ARIYALUR FORMATION aged 66 to 83 million year old of Maastrichtian to Campanian stage. Here most of the Fossils are Yellow ocher due to the presence of Yellow ochre stone and some golden pyritized color due to fool’s gold content.

TRICHINOPOLY FORMATION aged 83 to 89 Million year old of Santonian to Coniacian stage. Here fossils are mostly in sand brown color due to the presence of Sandstone.

UTTATUR FORMATION aged 89 to 100 million year old of Cenomanian to Turonian stage. Here fossils are commonly in Pyritized brown color and pale brown due to the presence of Iron and limestone.

Let us preserve and conserve these colorful precious gems because FOSSILS CONTAIN GEOLOGICAL RECORD AND HISTORY IN IT