Fossilised tree opens new window to Ladakh’s geological past

A chance discovery that opens a new window into Ladakh’s ancient geological past has been made by geologist Ritesh Arya, a native of Kasauli.

He has uncovered fossilised tree remains embedded in the Tethyan Himalayan sediments at Nanak Hill and Magnetic Hill, near the Pathar Sahib Gurdwara in Ladakh. Arya who is a Guinness World Record holder made the discovery while investigating a groundwater site at Nanak Hill.

“What began as a routine exploration of the area’s water potential transformed into a significant geological find when fossilised wood was discovered in the sedimentary layers of the Tethyan Himalayan sequence, marking the first report of fossil trees in this region,” Arya said.

The fossils, embedded in sandstone beds, are believed to be millions of years old, dating back to a time when the cold desert landscape of Ladakh had lush and humid environment. The discovery provides critical evidence of Ladakh’s prehistoric ecosystems, suggesting that the region once experienced equatorial-to-sub-equatorial coastal and shallow marine environmental and climatic conditions, with thriving vegetation and flowing rivers.

According to a local legend, Guru Nanak Dev miraculously survived an attack when a demon hurled a massive boulder at him. The boulder, now enshrined in Pathar Sahib Gurdwara, forms part of the Ladakh Batholith — a large igneous rock formation created from cooled magma millions of years ago.

Magnetic Hill, famous for its gravity-defying optical illusion, has now revealed another layer of wonder — fossilised tree remains. Arya’s findings from these two sites offer a rare glimpse into Ladakh’s ancient ecosystems, where the Tethyan Himalayan sediments were deposited in riverine environments that carried and preserved organic material, eventually turning them into stone through silicification.