GSA Today
Zealandia: Earth’s Hidden Continent
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2 GNS Science, P.O. Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand
3 SGEES, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
4 Service Géologique de Nouvelle Calédonie, B.P. 465, Nouméa 98845, New Caledonia
5 School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Abstract
A 4.9 Mkm
2 region of the southwest Pacific Ocean is made up of continental crust. The region has elevated bathymetry relative to surrounding oceanic crust, diverse and silica-rich rocks, and relatively thick and low-velocity crustal structure. Its isolation from Australia and large area support its definition as a continent Zealandia. Zealandia was formerly part of Gondwana. Today it is 94% submerged, mainly as a result of widespread Late Cretaceous crustal thinning preceding supercontinent breakup and consequent isostatic balance. The identification of Zealandia as a geological continent, rather than a collectio
India and Australia were evolutionary neighbours, a link found in Bhimbetka shows
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The age of fossil rock is determined using isotopes.
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Newly discovered specimens of the Ediacaran fossil Dickinsonia tenuis from the Maihar sandstone at Bhimbetka: a) interpretive sketch; b) photograph; c) false colour digital elevation model from photogrammetry. | Photo Credit:
G.J.Retallack et al
The age of fossil rock is determined using isotopes.
Bhimbetka, the famed Central Indian cave art repository near Bhopal dating back to Palaeolithic and Mesolithic times, has yielded a fossil find dating back about 550 million years, the first time the particular fossilised organism has been recorded in India. It dates back to an era regarded as the precursor to the explosion of life on earth during the Cambrian period and puts India firmly on the map for studies of the Ediacaran era along with Australia and Russia. Here’s what makes the discovery a global m
Fossils of ‘Dickinsonia’ found at Bhimbetka
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Discovery near Bhopal is of the earliest known animal about 550 million years old
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Traces of past: The fossils of ‘Dickinsonia’ found at the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, near Bhopal.
| Photo Credit: RAMESH SUSARLA
Discovery near Bhopal is of the earliest known animal about 550 million years old
Researchers have discovered three fossils of the earliest known living animal the 550-million-year-old ‘Dickinsonia’ on the roof of the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, about 40 km from Bhopal.
One can identify the fossils from the white leaf-like patches with a central vertebra (central midrib) and connecting veins. While one fossil is 17 inches long, the other two are much smaller.
India’s oldest art gallery overlooked for fossil in Bhimbetka caves?
India
Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 12:30 [IST]
Bhopal, Feb 10: Eleven feet up on the wall of an area called Auditorium Cave at Bhimbetka Rock Shelter near Bhopal, a group of geologists on a cultural visit has spotted a pattern that looks like an imprint of Dickinsonia.
Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for Paleolithic and Mesolithic cave art, near Bhopal is located in the capital of the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Dickinsonia is a well-known fossil dating back 550 million years to the initial years of complex life on Earth.
Indiaâs First Fossil Of Earthâs Oldest Animal Found In Bhimbetka By Geological Survey Of India
Source: Navbharat Times
Researchers believe that they have unearthed Indiaâs first fossil of Dickinsonia, which is considered to be Earthâs oldest animal that roamed the planet 570 million years ago.
The rare remnants have been discovered at the Bhimbetka rock shelters on the roof of the âAuditorium Caveâ,
Times of India reports. It is reportedly one of the rarest fossils in the world.
The fossils were found by two experts belonging to the Geological Survey of India (GSI) whilst they were on a sightseeing tour for the 36th International Geological Congress.