Ancient Marine Fossils Discovered in Northern Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Geological Survey has recently announced the discovery of 56 million-year-old remains of marine organisms in the northern border region of the Kingdom. These fossils, hidden within limestone layers of the Al-Ras sedimentary formation, date back to the early Eocene era.

Notably, they include bony fish, marking the first time such fossils have been identified in Saudi Arabia for this geological period. These finds are associated with extinct catfish, known as silites, and they provide invaluable insights into the early Eocene environment, shedding light on the geographical and ecological landscape of that era.