French paleontologists stress for more research in Pakistan
KARACHI: Three renowned French paleontologists have stressed for more research in the field of biodiversity history and paleontology in Pakistan.
Gregoire Metais, Laurent Marivaux and Jean-Loup Welcomme – the world renowned paleontologists presented their findings of field work in Pakistan in a small conference at Alliance Francaise, Karachi under the title of “The ‘Indian Raft’ to the Indus Basin: 30 million years of the history of biodiversity in Pakistan.”
Metais briefed the audience on his three-year field work with Sindh University. Along with some Pakistani colleagues he strived to find the traces of past 100,000 years of global warming also dubbed as Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). In geological term this was the most extreme Earth surface condition which took place some 55.8 million years ago.
For the field research, the team searched different geological formations at the Manchar, Kirthar, Ranikot and Lakhra areas of Sindh. They collected some 200 kilograms of valuable samples and fossils as well. The team found important fossils like a tooth crocodyliform, fossilized wood, bivalves and remains of other important invertebrate faunas.
The team also noted a huge diversity of invertebrates at Lakhra formation in Sindh.
The other paleontologist, Marivaux also shared his views about the fossil treasures in Pakistan. He and his colleagues discovered a fossil tooth of Lemur from Dera Bugti in Pakistan. This was a new genus and species, Bugtilemur Methosini, which were the oldest remains of earliest lemurs in the world. That new discovery suggests that the Lemurs have Asian, not African roots.
Welcomme described his 10-year field work in Pakistan. From 1994 to 2004 his colleagues and him worked in Balochistan and produced some 40 research papers on the ancient biodiversity and fossils from Pakistan which were published in top-most research journals.
Welcomme got fame when he discovered almost complete but composed skeleton of Baluchitherium the largest land mammal ever to have lived on Earth. Baluchitherium lived for 11 million years, nearly 35 to 24 million years ago. He also declared Balochistan a place of the most diversified early Oligocene mammal fauna of South Asia. In the era of Baluchitherium, the Balochistan was a lush green rainforest and hosted enough resources to provide pastures to the giant creature.
Talking to Dawn.com, Welcomme said that ‘we are ready to work in Pakistan if funding is available.’ He said that France will train two Pakistani experts at the level of doctorate in the field of paleontology. Both students belonged to the University of Sindh.
Metais told Dawn.com that it is very important for the media to highlight the great co-operation between Pakistan and France in the field of geology and paleontology.