15-Million-Year-Old Marine Fossils Discovered in Odisha's Mayurbhanj District

Exam-focused facts from the 21 June 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Marine fossils approximately 15 million years old were discovered in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.
The fossils were unearthed from the Baripada Fossil Bed, which stretches from Dera in the Kuliana block to Pratappur in the Badasahi block.
The remains are dated to the Miocene epoch, indicating that present-day Baripada and surrounding areas were once submerged under a shallow marine environment.
The fossil assemblage includes shark teeth, vertebrae, fish bones, mollusc shells, and microscopic marine organisms.
Researchers from Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo (MSCB) University stated that this is the only known site in Odisha where Miocene-age fossils have been found.