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| The eggs as photographed by Dr. Ramkumar |
In the year 2009, Indian Geologists stumbled upon the largest Dinosaur Nesting site in India at Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu. Geologists from the Periyar University, Salem in collaboration with German scientists, while on a field expedition came across the 65 million year old Jurassic treasure trove buried in the sands of a River bed. Since the river stream had dried up due to the summer heat, the geologists found dinosaur eggs protruding out from under the sand. The team decided to conduct a small excavation and find out as to what it was. Much to their surprise, they discovered, at first, a nesting site with 6 dinosaur eggs. Having hit a jackpot, the team of geologists summoned their larger team of scholars to help them with the excavation process and discover what is in store for them. As the excavation progressed, the team found more and more nests with each nest having 6 to 8 eggs. At the end of the day, a total of 3,000 eggs were discovered, along with 41 eggs intact, making it the largest Dinosaur Nesting site to have been discovered in South Asia, spread over an area of 2 sq Km. Each egg was the size of a mini-football with 13 to 20 cm in diameter, lying between the Sandy riverbed of Vellar River and Pennar River (locally called Ponnaiyar).
It was found to be that of the 60 feet tall, 82 feet long Sauropod Dinosaur, that lived a herbivorous diet. The team found many clusters of fossilised eggs, casts of eggs, dinosaur dungs and bones. Interestingly, the eggs were found in many different deeper layers buried underneath each other along a stream in the Cauvery river basin, which means the dinosaurs perhaps inhabited the place and came year after year for nesting. The eggs were fossilised unhatched and also found to be infertile. The team summarised that the eggs were found heaped suggesting that the dinosaurs dug pits, laid eggs and covered them with loose sand. The eggs contained traces of volcanic ash deposits suggesting that some sort of volcanic activity might have triggered their extinction from this particular region. The dense population of nests was a sign that the region supported a sizeable population of dinosaurs, perhaps in hundreds. However, what led the team of geologists to this region is an earlier discovery of 32 boxes of similar objects by a British Couple named Mr. and Mrs. Wines in the year 1842. Again in the 1990s a dinosaur egg was found in the store room of the government owned Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation (TANCEM) factory at Ariyalur. In 1992, 1998 and 2002, a team of three German scientists while on a field trip discovered dinosaur eggs at the Kallankurichi Mines of Ariyalur. With a shell thickness of 2.7 mm, the eggs were double the size than that found at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The eggs were found in similar conditions, well cemented with red sandstone. In the past too, fossilised bones of dinosaur have been found in the Kallamedu region of the neighbouring Perambular District. In the aftermath of the discovery, some of the eggs were plundered by the local villagers and have been taken home by them as Mementos! The Ariyalur District administration has cordoned off the site. The only other Jurassic site in India with sizable finding are at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, were the excited villagers looted many of the fossilised artefacts.
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| Excited natives |
Geologists have also discovered remains of Megadolon, a large species of Shark that lived 23 million years ago. The regions spread across 950 sq km along the Ariyalur, Perambalur, Cuddalore and Trichy Districts of Tamil Nadu is considered to be a treasure field of fossilised wealth with proven fossil structures, old trees, sea creatures and rocks as old as 240 million years. Further Excavations and research should be undertaken along the vast landscapes of this region in order to understand the geology of the country and state.
By S.J.Jeberson
