A field fossil museum, showcasing an area that had once been the bottom of the sea, would soon come up at Varanavasi near Ariyalur. Situated about 55 km from Tiruchi, the field museum would be spread over 50 hectares of badland topography, a type of dry terrain where soft sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. The ravines, crevices, and caverns of the topography make for a breathtaking panorama.
Thousands of years ago, the sea had ingressed and egressed in the region. Geological studies have indicated that the sea had transgressed more than 120,000,000 years ago. During this period, geologically known as the cretaceous, the sea abounded in a variety of marine animals. Animals and trees along the shore were buried after being carried by flooded streams of seawater and were petrified in course of time. This had made Ariyalur a geologists’ paradise.
Taking into account the need to showcase the natural treasure in a proper way, the State government has sanctioned Rs. 2 crore for setting up the field museum. The project is expected to take off soon.
District Collector E. Saravanavelraj said that a committee had been constituted to design the project and the work would begin once the design was finalised.
S.M. Chandrasekar, Managing Trustee, Earth Park Trust, and a geologist who had been designated nodal guide of the region by the district administration, said the field museum would be a first of its kind given its sheer size and type. Apart from signboards and footnotes to guide visitors, fossils found in the district would be displayed here. An animation theatre was planned at the site.
The government order, sanctioning the fund, points out that the region was of great importance in terms of its geology and palaeontology.
Cretaceous formations preserved here are fossiliferous, yielding important data on past environment and on the history of the evolution of geology in India.
Cretaceous marine fossils in the region constitute critical paleontological data for this time period and are of vital importance of studies of palaeoclimate. Since rapid industrialisation was affecting the preservation of these deposits, establishing a site museum would help highlight, preserve, and conserve evidence of the palaeontology of the region.
The government intends to encourage local cement manufacturers to become friends of the museum and donate fossils that were found even as they mine the limestone deposits of the region.
Besides, a research laboratory had been planned for scientists to study the exhibits and contribute their knowledge for the development of the museum.
