A group of independent researchers including geology professors, archaeologists, field geologists and mining industry representatives from the Society of Earth Scientists (SES) conducted field workshops to look for potential sites of geological diversity or geodiversity across India to draw the attention of local governments, the public and industries.
In this context, understand what are geoheritage sites, and the geoheritage sites of Jhamarkotra and Zawar for the IAS exam.
Jurassic Age ‘Natural Arch’ in Odisha
The state unit of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has proposed to declare the ‘Natural Arch’ in the Kanika range of Sundargarh forest division, believed to be dating back to the Jurassic period a Geo Heritage Site.
Image source: www.newindianexpress.com
- The ‘Natural Arch’ in the Kanika range of Sundargarh forest division, dating back to the Jurassic period, is about to be given a Geo Heritage Site.
- The site is located in the dense Chhengapahar reserve forest near Brahmani village in the Kanika range of Sundargarh.
- It will be the biggest natural arch in the country to have the Geo Heritage tag.
- The oval-shaped arch has a length of 30 metres at the base and is 12 metres high. The alcove of the natural arch has a maximum height and width of 7 metres and 15 metres.
- Apart from the arch at Sundargarh, India has two others – one at Tirumala hills in Tirupati and another at Andaman and Nicobar.
Geoheritage Sites of Jhamarkotra and Zawar
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) declares geo-heritage sites/national geological monuments for protection and maintenance.
- In Rajasthan, two sites have been identified.
- One site is a 1.8-billion-year-old fossil park at Jhamarkotra and the second site is the world’s oldest zinc-smelting site at Zawar.
Jhamarkotra:
- It has a stromatolite fossil park.
- A stromatolite is a layered sedimentary rock which is created by microorganisms.
- The stromatolites of this place date back 1.8 billion years. They show a variety of textures and sizes.
- Fossils of stromatolite carry records of the earliest life of the planet i.e. cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.
- These fossils are rich in phosphate due to the trapped sediments which were mainly phosphate minerals. This is also one of the reasons why the region is a mining hub today.
- The phosphate from this site is mined for use in agricultural fertilizers.
- But as mining operations in the region have expanded, the industry has presented a double-edged sword: it can identify and preserve the fossils or it can damage or destroy these records of our geological past.
Zawar:
- 40 km from Udaipur, lies Zawar, the world’s oldest known zinc-smelting site.
- It has significance from both metallurgic and archaeological perspectives.
- Evidence of zinc mining and smelting operations has been found around the landscape of Zawar from ancient times like trenches, chambers, open-pit mines, galleries and shafts.
- The presence of earthen retorts such as brinjal-shaped, long-necked vessels gives evidence that Zawar had a unique legacy of zinc-smelting.
- The extraction was done with a distillation process that required the use of a retort and an external condenser.
- This represents an example of metallurgical expertise.
- Zinc-smelting operations of Zawar are as old as 2,000 years. The American Society of Metals has acknowledged it in 1988 to be the earliest zinc-smelting site in the archaeological record.
- Written records also trace the use of zinc in ancient medicine and in medieval weapons of war.
- The people in the region had trade relations with China and Japan.
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