Akal Wood Fossil Park

The Akal Wood Fossil Park in Jaisalmer is one of the destinations dedicated to the prehistoric era. It is located on the Barmer road around 17 km away from Jaisalmer city. Akal Wood Fossil Park is the pride of Jaisalmer city; it is the National Geological Monument of India. Spread over 21 hectares of land, the park lies in the region of the potential geological park in Jaisalmer fossil belt. The barren and rocky terrain has about a dozen of fossilized wood logs and exposed tree trunks protected by iron grilled cages and tin sheet roofing. 

The park houses 25 petrified tree trunks, with about a dozen of fossilised wood logs. It has fossils of over 180 million years and petrophyllum, equisetitis a ptyllophyllum species of the early Jurassic period. The nearby Thaiyat area is a renowned place where the fossils and footprints of Pterosaurs were found. There are also remnants of non-flowering trees such as Redwood, Deodar and Chir. The existing fossils of gastropod shells imply that the region was a sea once upon a time. It is believed that fossils are lying deep within the soil. Hence excavation processes are ongoing. It was declared the National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India in the year 1972, who maintained the park till 1985 after which it was handed over to the Forest Department of the Government of Rajasthan.