"The fossils belong to the middle-late Eocene period, anywhere between 45-33 million years ago," SK Paul, a senior scientist with the Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology said.

The fossils were discovered near Shingbuk, about 12 km from Tsokar which lies in the Indus Suture Zone which divides the Himalayas from the Karakoram Mountains as well as the Tibetan plateau.

The scientists claim that the fossil specimen discovered by them is different from all the known species of Palmacites and have described it as a new species, 'Palmacites tsokarensis', named after the locality from where it was collected.

"Its presence not only indicates that palms were abundant during the middle-late Eocene in the region, but also suggests that the area had not attained as much height as it has today (about 5,000 meters above mean sea level)," he said.