Booklet documenting 570-million years fossils released
Published: 06:11 PM,Nov 02,2024 | EDITED : 10:11 PM,Nov 02,2024
Booklet documenting 570-million years fossils released
MUSCAT: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MoHT) recently released the National Fossil Collection Data Booklet, the second part of a series of documentary releases based on data from the Natural History Museum.
The 111-page booklet contains a comprehensive introduction to fossils and their formations, types, and classifications. It includes documentation of the scientific names of fossils preserved in the Natural History Museum, along with their descriptive data, age, and the locations from which they were collected across the Sultanate of Oman.
The term ‘fossils’ is defined as the remains and traces of plants or animals that lived in prehistoric ages and were preserved underground or on the earth's surface. Fossils are scattered across various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman, indicating the rich biodiversity that existed in the Sultanate of Oman due to diverse climates and environments throughout history.
The National Fossil Collection comprises over 1,400 rare specimens, including fossilised trees and plants, bones of extinct animals such as dinosaurs, elephants, and monkeys that lived in Oman in ancient times, as well as reptiles and amphibians such as crocodiles and turtles.
The collection also contains various marine fossils, including mollusks, arthropods, and primitive fish. Additionally, it includes non-fossil formations such as geodes, desert roses, flints, and a multitude of minerals and rocks discovered in the Sultanate of Oman.
The oldest fossils in the museum date back 570 million years, including fossilised stromatolite, a primitive single-celled bacterial algae found in the Sidr area near the Wilayat of Al Duqm. This adds an exceptional scientific and historical dimension to the National Fossil Collection of the Natural History Museum.
The 111-page booklet contains a comprehensive introduction to fossils and their formations, types, and classifications. It includes documentation of the scientific names of fossils preserved in the Natural History Museum, along with their descriptive data, age, and the locations from which they were collected across the Sultanate of Oman.
The term ‘fossils’ is defined as the remains and traces of plants or animals that lived in prehistoric ages and were preserved underground or on the earth's surface. Fossils are scattered across various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman, indicating the rich biodiversity that existed in the Sultanate of Oman due to diverse climates and environments throughout history.
The National Fossil Collection comprises over 1,400 rare specimens, including fossilised trees and plants, bones of extinct animals such as dinosaurs, elephants, and monkeys that lived in Oman in ancient times, as well as reptiles and amphibians such as crocodiles and turtles.
The collection also contains various marine fossils, including mollusks, arthropods, and primitive fish. Additionally, it includes non-fossil formations such as geodes, desert roses, flints, and a multitude of minerals and rocks discovered in the Sultanate of Oman.
The oldest fossils in the museum date back 570 million years, including fossilised stromatolite, a primitive single-celled bacterial algae found in the Sidr area near the Wilayat of Al Duqm. This adds an exceptional scientific and historical dimension to the National Fossil Collection of the Natural History Museum.