Kashmiri lecturers claim discovering gigantic fossil site near Kulgam's Aharbal waterfall

Two Kashmiri lecturers, Manzoor Javaid and Dr Rouf Hamzah, recently claimed to have discovered a gigantic fossil site in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district.

News agency ANI reported that the lecturers work in the School Education Department and are associated with School Herbal Gardens as nodal officers. The duo said that they found the site, which is rich in fossil diversity dating back between 488 and 354 million years while scouting for fossil samples near Aharbal waterfall in Kulgam district. 

The two lecturers said that the site is studded with thousands of fossil remains of diverse nature which got exposed due to weathering, construction of roads, and subsequent erosion. Hamzah said that the thousands of fossils are visible at the site superficially without any excavation. He added that this is an indication that a “huge haul of fossils could be hidden beneath”. Hamzah also said that during the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the fossil samples fall between the Ordovician and Devonian periods. However, it needs to be ascertained through serious research and carbon dating.

Hamzah said, “If the potential areas of the site are excavated, it may reveal an astonishing fossil world to the scientific community. Experts believe that the site which is rich in fossil biodiversity and replete with dense fossil samples at specific locations can be as old as 488 to 354 million years. However, the exact date can be ascertained only after radiocarbon dating”. 

'Biggest find in J&K'

After the two lecturers announced the discovery, a team from the Department of Archives Archaeology and Museum visited the site and collected the samples. Srinagar’s deputy director (archives) Mushtaq Ahmad Beigh informed that the department has collected the samples and will send them for further investigation. He added that the samples would be sent to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BAARC). 

“We have collected the samples and will send them for further investigation. As of now, we can't confirm the age of these fossils. It needs to be ascertained through research and carbon dating. However, it is the biggest find in J&K in terms of occurrence, area, diversity, and age of the fossils," Beigh said. 

(With inputs from ANI)