Fossils of sea creatures 35 million years old discovered in eastern Turkey

In Turkey’s eastern province of Mus, a team of researchers discovered fossils of sea creatures estimated to be 35 million years old.

Fossils belonging to sea creatures estimated to be 35 million years old were found in the field research carried out in the Bulanık district of Muş.

Iskender Dölek, a geomorphologist, and lecturer at Muş Alparslan University’s Disaster Management Application and Research Center, told journalists that the invertebrate marine fossils will be sent to paleontologists for age, species, and genus determination.

Dölek told members of the press that they had been working in the region for a long time and that they had found Mollusca fossils in the field last year.

Dölek said that after the news about invertebrate marine life fossils came out, they were informed that there were similar fossils in Bulanık this year as well:

“While we were expecting Mollusca fossils in the field, we encountered gastropods and sea urchins, as well as fossils that we think belong to different species. We think they may date back 35 million years. We’ll have new data and new information about the paleogeography and paleoclimatic conditions of Muş, especially in the geography of the region,” he said.

He underlined that information about these fossils can help reinterpret the regional geography of Eastern Anatolia.

He stated that the fossils discovered at an elevation of 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) “naturally suggest that this location was formerly a sea.”

Cover Photo: İHA