Baripada, June 18 -- A 15-million-year-old fossil discovered in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district sheds light on the region's ancient marine ecosystem and suggests that modern-day Baripada and surrounding areas were submerged in shallow seas.

The fossils, unearthed from the Baripada Fossil Bed stretching from Dera in the Kuliana block to Pratappur in the Badasahi block, date back to the Miocene epoch, a period known for significant biodiversity and climatic changes.

Researchers believe the findings indicate that large parts of present-day Baripada and its surrounding areas were once submerged under a shallow sea.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Debabrata Nandi, Researcher and Professor in the Department of GIS at Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo (MSC...