From ocean to desert: 40-million-year-old shark teeth reveal Mangistau’s marine past

Swedish paleontologist Steffen Kiel joined a research expedition to Kazakhstan’s Mangistau Region, where he worked alongside students from Yessenov University and Sezim Mustafayeva, head of the university’s Department of Geology and Petrochemical Engineering, to conduct field research across the area.

During the expedition, researchers uncovered several fossilized shark teeth believed to have belonged to a large predatory species that inhabited the region’s ancient seas some 30 to 40 million years ago.

The expedition also uncovered a whale rib, starfish remains, and various mollusks, which researchers say offer further evidence of a once-thriving ancient marine ecosystem.

Scientists say the territory of present-day Mangistau was once submerged beneath the vast ancient Tethys Ocean. Although the region is now largely desert, it still holds traces of a rich marine past that dates back millions of years.

“This unique paleontological discovery is an extremely valuable scientific finding that sheds light on the natural history of the ancient Tethys Ocean, which covered the territory of modern-day Mangistau millions of years ago. The discovered shark teeth confirm the richness of the region’s geological past and ancient marine ecosystem, making them especially significant for the international scientific community,” Steffen Kiel said.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Mangistau region governor Nurdaulet Kilybay, together with Akan Ongaruly, Director of the Margulan Archeology Institute, and archaeologist Andrey Astafyev, had visited the Karakabak settlement in Tupkaragan district.