Salkhan Fossil Park Added to UNESCO Tentative List

Recently, Salkhan Fossil Park, also known as Sonbhadra Fossils Park, was added to UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. It is located in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.

The park is important for its ancient stromatolite fossils, which preserve evidence of early microbial life and make the site globally significant from a geological and evolutionary perspective.

Aspect	Details
Location	It lies in Salkhan village in Sonbhadra district and spreads over 25 hectares within the scenic Kaimur Range.
Recognition	Though scientific interest dates back to the 1930s, it was officially declared a fossil park in 2002.
Importance	The park contains stromatolites, layered sedimentary structures formed by ancient cyanobacteria.
Age	These stromatolites belong to the Mesoproterozoic era, about 1.6–1.0 billion years ago.
Global Significance	Salkhan is considered older than famous fossil sites such as Shark Bay in Australia and Yellowstone in the USA.

PT Facts

State: Uttar Pradesh.
District: Sonbhadra.
Also Known As: Sonbhadra Fossil Park.
Status: Added to UNESCO Tentative List.
Key Fossils: Stromatolites formed by ancient cyanobacteria.
Geological Age: Mesoproterozoic era, about 1.6–1.0 billion years ago.

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