An exceptional Geoheritage Potential of the Cenozoic Successions of Western Kutch, India towards Conservation and Sustainable Development

 

An exceptional Geoheritage Potential of the Cenozoic Successions of Western Kutch, India towards Conservation and Sustainable Development

Author : SHUBHENDU SHEKHAR, DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI, shekhar.shubhendu@gmail.com

 

Geoheritage is a concept concerned with the preservation of features with importance to earth science, viz landforms, natural exposures of rocks, and sites where geological features can be examined for further study, reference, and conservation for coming generations. Geoheritage, geoconservation, and geotourism studies are gaining interest worldwide because of their scientific, academic, historical, societal, cultural, and aesthetic values. Several countries have their government policy to look after the Geoheritage sites and conserve with the help of local agencies, however; in India, there is a need for national legislation and a holistic approach. The Cenozoic (last 65Ma.) sedimentation (~900m) is considered as a strato-type section for the shallow-marine sedimentary records in India. Some Cenozoic sections of Kutch are the only remaining section in the world. This sedimentary succession acts as a geological museum for paleontology, stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and sequence stratigraphy. Such records of past climates and sea- level fluctuations are characterizing the global sea-level history. It also provides an outcrop analog for reservoir rocks of Bombay High. Taking this into account we propose seven selected sites in the Cenozoic succession to be preserved as Geoheritage sites and development of geotourism viz. Matanomadh cliff section, Naredi cliff section, Fulra limestone section, Miocene succession, Paleosol of Sandhan Formation, Kharai River paraconformity section, and Bermoti River section. The Geopark will help to enhance the local economy by infrastructure development, health and educational pursuits to the village level society, and employment. The geological records are the consequences of millions of years of processes and are precious that require special care. If these records once destroyed will be lost forever and cannot be restored artificially. It is our prime responsibility to transfer the knowledge and Geoheritage to future generations.

 

Keywords: Geoheritage , Geopark, Sustainable development , Cenozoic of Kutch, National legislation for Geoheritage.

 

Références:

Shekhar, Shubhendu., Kumar, P., Chauhan, G. and Thakkar, M. G. (2019) Conservation and sustainable development of Geoheritage, Geopark, and Geotourism: A case study of Cenozoic

Successions of Western Kutch, India. Geoheritage, Springer. DOI 10.1007/s12371-019-00362-5. Shekhar, Shubhendu., Shukla, A. and Kumar, P. (2018). Sedimentary Record of Forced Regression along the margin of Kutch basin: Terminal Cenozoic succession (Sandhan Formation), western India. Jour. Indian Association Sedimentologists, v. 35 (1), pp. 23-35. Shekhar, Shubhendu., Shukla, A., and Kumar, P. (2018). Geochemical and petrographic interpretation of Sandhan Formation: An insight into provenance, tectonics, and paleoclimatic Conditions. E-Journal Earth Science India, v. 11, pp.149-167. eISSN: 0974 – 8350 Pramod Kumar, Shubhendu Shekhar, Avinash Shukla, and Partha Pratim Chakraborty (2021). Facies architecture and spatio-temporal depositional variability in the Pliocene Sandhan fluvial system, Kutch Basin, India. Journal of Earth System Science. Banerjee, S., Chattoraj, S. L., Saraswati, P. K., Dasgupta, S. and Sarkar, U. (2012 a). Mineralogy and geochemistry of lagoonal glauconites and their implications on origin and maturation: Oligocene Maniyara Fort Formation, western Kutch, India. Geological Journal 47, 357-371.