Along Narmada banks, paleontologists find minefield

According to D.K. Bhatt, Deputy Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Bhopal who along with Sahni was part of the team that unveiled Rajasaurus in Mumbai just days ago, ‘‘Paul Sereno (University of Chicago paleontologist) literally put the flesh on the bones of the preceding discoveries in India. He and Jefferey Wilson of the University of Michigan brought in the anatomical expertise that rounded off a discovery that has been worked on for the past 20 years by Indian scientists.’’

It was in the same Lameta formation, a limestone layer in which these dinosaur fossils have been well-preserved, that an important find was made in the Rahioli village of Kheda district in Gujarat. Bhatt says, ‘‘In 1981, two GSI geologists, Dwivedi and Mahobey, were approached by the ACC factory staff who had found rounded balls in this limestone layer that they were utilising for cement. These were identified as dinosaurian eggs.’’

A large number of dinosaur bones were found here and were mapped by another GSI geologist, Suresh Srivastava. Sahni, an expert on dinosaur eggs, was contacted by the GSI, and, he adds, ‘‘an MoU was signed between the GSI and Panjab University. Work started on what was a graveyard of dinosaur bones at this village.’’

Sahni says, ‘‘A lot of scientific work resulted but interest was confined to scientists, with little done to reach the general public, even though a Dinosaur National Park was set up at the site in 1983.’’

In 2001, when Sereno and Wilson contacted the GSI in India, they used the detailed mapping of the bones as they were found lying on the ground to make their reconstruction. Bhatt adds: ‘‘They brought in the necessary anatomical knowledge. Till then, much of the work had focused on the eggs, which had been an important new find in India.

The extensive collection which the GSI found along the Narmada was essential to this process, hence the name. In fact, in reconstructing the skull of this animal, bits and pieces found in Jabalpur have been used after it became clear they were from Rajasaurus. Clearly the carnivore roamed this area.’’

But the discovery of this ‘regal’ Narmada dinosaur is by no means the end of the story. Says Bhatt: ‘‘The bone collection indicates the presence of at least one more Theropod (types of carnivorous dinosaurs) species apart from Rajasaurus, and a group of Sauropods (types of herbivorous dinosaur).’’ Adds Sahni: ‘‘There are several important associated questions. Dinosaurs similar to Rajasaurus have been found in Madagascar and in South America. This gives us an idea of the contiguity of land masses and can provide answers to how the continents moved. Moreover, the fossilised remains in this area date to just before 65 million years ago. It was at this time that 70 per cent of all life on earth, not just the dinosaurs, perished. And this was accompanied by very high volcanic activity in this area which led to the formation of the Deccan trap.’’ It was this volcanic activity which quickly covered most of the Lameta layer, helping in the preservation of the dinosaur remains.

But even as this discovery has brought renewed interest in the work going on along the Narmada and in the Kutch region, vandalism presents a grave danger. It is a concern Bhatt echoes. ‘‘In the course of our mapping work, we uncovered several dinosaur eggs on a hill in Jabalpur. When we returned to the site, only a single egg was left.’’ Adds Sahni: ‘‘I have been campaigning against this.‘‘