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Contents
What is the News?
The Geological Survey of India(GSI) has identified two geological heritage sites in the Indian Himalayan Region of India.
Which are the two sites identified by GSI?
The two sites identified by GSI in the Himalayan Region are:
Siwalik Fossil Park
Location: Himachal Pradesh
Description of the Site: The Siwalik Fossil park displays a rich collection of vertebrate fossils recovered from the Siwalik rocks of the area of the Plio-Pleistocene age.
– The deposition of Siwalik sediments took place in the narrow linear depression, called the ‘fore deep‘, which started developing in front of the Himalayas since the inception of its uplift in the middle Miocene.
Stromatolite bearing Dolomite / Limestone of Buxa Formation
Location: Sikkim
Description of the Site: The Geoheritage site at Mamley exposes litho units of Buxa Formation, Daling Group of Proterozoic age. The dolostones are profusely stromatolitic (Precambrian algal structures). This site provides one of the rare examples of early life in Sikkim Himalaya.
What are Geo-heritage Sites?
Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are inherently or culturally significant offering insight to earth’s evolution or history to earth science or that can be utilized for education.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) declares geo-heritage sites/ national geological monuments for protection and maintenance.
Geo-heritage Sites in India
| State | Geological heritage site / National geological monument |
| ANDHRA PRADESH | Volcanogenic bedded Barytes, Mangampeta Eparchaean Unconformity Natural Geological Arch, Tirumala Hills, Erra Matti Dibbalu- the dissected and stabilized coastal red sediment mounds located between Vishakhapatnam and Bhimunipatnam. |
| KERALA | Laterite near Angadipuram PWD rest house premises Varkala Cliff Section |
| TAMILNADU | Fossil wood near Tiruvakkarai National fossil wood park Charnockite, St. Thomas Mount Badlands of Karai Formation with Cretaceous fossils along Karai – Kulakkalnattam Section |
| GUJARAT | Sedimentary Structures – Eddy Markings, Kadan Dam |
| RAJASTHAN | Sendra Granite Barr Conglomerate Stromatolite Fossil Park. Gossan in Rajpura-Dariba Mineralised belt, Udaipur Dist. Stromatolite Park Kishangarh Nepheline Syenite, Ajmer Dist Akal Fossil Wood Park Welded Tuff Jodhpur Group – Malani Igneous Suite Contact Great Boundary Fault at Satur |
| MAHARASHTRA | Lonar Lake |
| CHATTISGARH | Lower Permian Marine bed at Manendragarh |
| KARNATAKA | Columnar Lava, St Mary Island Pillow lavas near Mardihalli Peninsular Gneiss, Lalbagh Pyroclastics & Pillow lavas, Kolar Gold fields |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | Siwalik Fossil Park, Saketi |
| ODISHA | Pillow Lava in lron ore belt at Nomira |
| JHARKHAND | Plant Fossil bearing Intertrappean beds of Rajmahal Formation, upper Gondwana sequence |
| NAGALAND | Nagahill Ophiolite Site |
| SIKKIM | Stromatolite bearing Dolomite / Limestone of Buxa Formation |
Source: This post is based on the article “Geological Heritage Sites of Himalayan Region of India” published in PIB on 30th March 2022.
