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Dickinsonia tenuis reported by Retallack et al. 2021 is not a fossil, instead an impression of an extant ‘fallen beehive’

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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

Dickinsonia tenuis, an important Ediacaran element, reported from the Maihar Sandstone by Retallack et al. (2021) was re-examined in the field to ascertain the biogenicity of the purported fossils. Field observations, outcrop features, and laboratory analyses (XRD, Raman Spectroscopy) do not support the biogenicity and syngenecity of reported objects. Based on this discovery, the inferences drawn about the age of the Maihar Sandstone and the palaeogeographic position of India are therefore considered invalid. Indian Dickinsonia specimen described by Retallack et al. (2021) is a left-over impression of a fallen beehive which is further proved by the detailed Raman Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, for extending the facilities to carry out the investigations and for permission to publish this work (RDCC/2022-23/69). We are highly obliged to the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi (Dr. K. Lourdusamy, Director, Exploration, and Excavation Section), to provide permission to examine the Bhimbetka Shelter Caves to study these (?)fossils. We are grateful to Dr. Manoj Kumar Kurmi, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Bhopal Circle for extending help during our visit to collect samples. Ground staff of ASI, Bhopal circle, and security personnel M/s Krishna Kumar, Pawan Singh, Ram Bilas, Madan Lal Kundre, and Radhey Shyam are also acknowledged. We thank anonymous reviewer for constructive review.

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  1. Shamim Ahmad

    Present address: Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India

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  1. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow, 226 007, India

    S. K. Pandey, Shamim Ahmad & Mukund Sharma

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Pandey, S.K., Ahmad, S. & Sharma, M. Dickinsonia tenuis reported by Retallack et al. 2021 is not a fossil, instead an impression of an extant ‘fallen beehive’. J Geol Soc India 99, 311–316 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-023-2312-2

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