Salkhan Fossile park ( UPSC Prelims)

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News Context

Salkhan Fossil Park, also known as Sonbhadra Fossils Park in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, has been added to the UNESCO Tentative List for World Heritage Sites. It meets the criteria for a geo-heritage site according to the IUCN's 2020 guidelines for the "Evolution of Life" and aligns with UNESCO's 2021 framework on the history of Earth and the evolution of life. The park is situated in the Kaimur Range, which is part of the Vindhya range, and is adjacent to the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary. It is recognized as one of the oldest and most well-preserved sites globally, with fossils dating back 1.4 billion years. The site's fossil collection includes Stromatolites, which were formed by communities of Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae. These fossilized microbial structures document the Great Oxidation Event, a significant period when oxygen first began to accumulate in the atmosphere.