Decorative fossils embedded in the walkway of Bangkok’s Siam Square shopping mall have been examined by experts and found to be real.
The examination was spurred by a Facebook user’s photos of the fossils, which went viral on the social media platform on Tuesday.
After seeing the viral post the Thai Department of Mineral Resources director-general, Poongbook Pongthong, assigned a geologist–Adulwit Kaweera of the Fossil Protection Division–as head of the case.
Mr. Adulwit and his team found 77 fossil pieces in total, each about 2 to 12 centimeters in size. According to Mr. Adulwit’s team, the fossils were put there by hired contractors and subcontractors who didn’t realize their actual origin.
Ammonites were ocean creatures and relatives of octopuses and squids. Most ammonites died out about 66 million years ago. They ranged widely in size, with some as big as 3.5 meters in diameter.
The fossils in Siam Square likely originated in Africa, specifically Madagascar.
