As per the news reports in September 2020, geologists have found fossilised leaves from the Jurassic period in Dudhkol mountain in Taljhari area, Sahibganj district, Jharkhand. The leaves, estimated to be around 150-200 million years old, were consumed by herbivorous dinosaurs. Earlier also, smaller fossils from Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous period were found in the region.
According to geologist Ranjit Kumar Singh, Sahibganj P.G. College, the fossilised leaves measure 20 cm by 5 cm and belong to the genus Ptilophyllum. Since fossilised dinosaur eggs are also expected, further excavation is going on in collaboration with National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, under a project of the Department of Science and Technology of the Union government.
The geologists are of the view that thay are hopeful of finding more fossils as several fossils have earlier been found in Maharajpur, Tarpahad, Garmi Pahad, and Barharwa areas in Sahibganj and Sonajhari in neighbouring Pakur district.
Courtesy: India Today