by Lila Kapur Gandhi, 6

Fossils are the remains of plants and animals that have escaped the rotting process and, many years later, through different methods, have become a part of Earth’s crust. We would be unaware of our ancestors, ancient animals, birds and dinosaurs and important historic events from the past if it wasn’t for the discovery of fossils. Believe it or not, fossils along with ancient artefacts are our only connections to the history of life on our planet. Fossils date back to about 4.1 billion years ago and cover the Jurassic, Triassic, Cretaceous, Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Ordovician, Precambrian and Cambrian eras. In Dorset, England, I saw belemnites – tiny squids who, according to me, look like tiny bullets. They are ancient squids whose inner skeletons fossilise. I also saw other sea creatures such as ammonites, similar to belemnites, except they have shells which we see as spiral fossils. Ammonites in particular remind me of a ram’s horn.

There are many ways in which fossils form. The first way is by a volcanic eruption. If volcanic eruptions take place in an area where there are trees, fish, dinosaurs, animals etc., the molten lava will keep piling on top in layers, burying the skeletons deeper and deeper, while still completely preserving them. Millions or even billions of years later, palaeontologists excavate them and find them as fossils. The second method of fossilisation is if a dead fish lies on the seabed, it will normally decay or rot, but if it is buried very quickly, then it will be preserved. The mud will become a hard slate-like material called shale. It will then flatten the skeleton of the fish. Now that the skeleton is covered by sediment, to become a proper fossil, it will need to undergo harsh climate and pressure changes. More and more sediment keeps accumulating, constantly changing the structure of the fish and it has compressed the shale underneath a lot. Millions of years later, the rock bed has been exposed by retreating seas. Due to weathering, the rock around the fish also gets eroded, allowing fossil enthusiasts and palaeontologists to spot it more easily. This kind of fossilisation can also occur in other marine animals such as ammonites and nautiluses as well as marine dinosaurs. The third and final method by which something can fossilise is amber fossilisation. This method can only occur with small insects and arachnids. When trees release sap or residue, the orange, sticky sap covers any unlucky insect on that tree. This preserves the insect perfectly for many, many years. The problem with this method is that it is very difficult to tell how old they are.

From the cliffs of Charmouth, to the rocky terrain of Oman, to a fossil park in the middle of a hot desert in Jaisalmer, you can find fossils almost everywhere. All you need is to keep your eyes peeled at all times. There are many other places to go fossil hunting, especially around Europe and North America, but these are the places I have been fossil-hunting to. 

Of course, It depends what kind of fossils you’re looking for. If you’re a great palaeontologist, you’ll be focusing on finding dinosaurs and other huge ancient reptiles and mammals. If you are a nature or fossil enthusiast, you might not be that ambitious. I would recommend Charmouth in Dorset for both. Not only does it have fossils of different sizes for newbies, enthusiasts and pros alike, but it also has stunning panoramic views with rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, pristine coves and stunning seas. You are sure to spot at least one fossil in Dorset, whether you get a team to excavate a dinosaur, crack open a rock with a hammer and chisel and find an ammonite or simply spot sea urchin or belemnite fossils lying on the beach, you cannot go home without tightly clasping a million year old treasure in your hand. Oman is less well known for its fossils, but how amazing they are! Tons of beautiful fish, corals, plants and sponges are clumped together on cliffs, making them easy to spot and amazing to view. Unlike Dorset, they are such few fossils and they are so deeply embedded in the rock that, unfortunately, you cannot take them home. Now, for the final fossil hunting place I have been to is in India itself: the Akal Wood Fossil Park in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. This happened due to the first method of fossilisation, volcanic eruption. Many millions of years ago, a volcano erupted near Akal Wood Fossil Park, which was a forest at that time. This caused all the trees to get buried in molten lava while they were still alive. Many years later, the trees got exposed due to shifts in tectonic plates and formed fossils.

Did you know? The process of trees turning into fossils is called petrification.