National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai

National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai
Type	Fossil park
Location	Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates	12°01′09″N 79°39′12″E
Area	247 acres (100 ha)
Created	1940; 85 years ago (1940)
Operated by	Geological Survey of India
Status	Protected area

The National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai is a notified National Geo-heritage Monument located in the Villupuram District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is maintained by the Geological Survey of India.[1] The park was established in 1940[2] and is located 1 km east of Thiruvakkarai[3][4] village on the road between Tindivanam and Pondicherry.[5]

Wood fossils

Map of the region and cross section described by H. F. Blanford in 1858

The park contains petrified wood fossils approximately 20 million years old, scattered throughout the park,[6] which covers about 247 acres (100 ha). The park consists of nine enclaves, but only a small portion of the 247 acres (approx 1 square km) is open to the public.[7] Officials of the GSI believe the fossils were formed during massive flooding that occurred millions of years ago.[8]

The park hosts about 200 fossilized trees. They range in size from 3 to 15 metres (9.8 to 49.2 ft) meters in length, some of which are up to 5 meters in width.[1] They are strewn and partially buried in the park grounds.[6] No branches or leaves remain on the fossilised trunks.[8]

Scientists speculate that the trees did not originally grow at the site, but were transported before they had petrified.[8] M. Sonneret, a European naturalist, gave the first detailed account of the fossils in 1781.[2]

Quality of the fossils

The fossils are well preserved due to extensive petrifaction.[8] The trees' annular rings and pit structures are clearly visible, allowing their age to be determined by counting the rings.[8]

Gallery

• 
  20 million year old wood fossil from the Mio-Pliocene age preserved in Cuddalore sandstone.
• 
  Fossilised wood of Mesembrioxylon schmidianum (gymnosperm) and Peuce schmidianum (angiosperm).

See also

• Mandla Plant Fossils National Park
• Shivalik Fossil Park
• Ghughua Fossil Park

References

1. "Fossil Wood parks". Geological Survey of India. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
2. Kodinhi, Hussain. "Millions of years ago, there lived a tree". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
3. "VCK candidate vows to put Vanur on tourism map". The Hindu. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
4. These trees speak, but not many hear, The Hindu ne village on the road between Tindivanam and Pondicherry.wspaper, 2-Nov-2014
5. Lifeless air hovers over Fossil Wood Park, The Hindu newspaper, 1-Feb-2012
6. "Lifeless air hovers over Fossil Wood Park". 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
7. Prasanna, Srinivasan (17 January 2001). "Forest of Brown". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
8. Yamunan, Shruthisagar (25 September 2010). "A repository of spectacularly preserved fossilized trees". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.

External links

• Official Government Website