Himalayas,
a mountain range that boasts of having over a hundred mountains
exceeding 7,200 metres (23,600 ft) in elevation, including the
highest peak Mount Everest, actually separates the plains of the
Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. Five countries,
Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, and Pakistan, nest in the shadows of
this great mountain range. The Himalayas meet in the northwest, the
Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges and in the north the Tibetan
Plateau. South of Himalayas lies the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Three of
the world's major rivers, the Indus, the Ganges and the
Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, all rise near Mount Kailash and cross and
encircle the Himalayas. Their combined drainage basin is home to some
600 million people.
The
Himalayas are among the youngest mountain ranges on our planet. It
was formed by movements of rock surfaces below the ground and what
Geologists term as tectonic plates. Geologists call the outermost
shell of a rocky planet comprising of the upper crust and the portion
of the upper mantle as the lithosphere. The lithosphere is broken up
into tectonic plates. On Earth, there are seven or eight major plates
and many minor plates. Another interesting part is that these plates
move relative to each other. At the plate boundaries, where two
plates meet, their relative motion creates or transforms the
boundary. This movement of plates, actually causes earthquakes,
volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formations
along these plate boundaries. Geologists say that the Himalayas were
similarly formed by the movement of the convergent boundary between
the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plates.
Around
70 million years ago, the north-moving Indo-Australian Plate was
moving at about 15 cm per year. There existed an ocean called as
Tethys Ocean between Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plates.
Later or around 50 million years ago, the fast moving Indo-Australian
plate completely closed the Tethys Ocean. Since the Indo-Australian
plate moved and continues to move horizontally below the Tibetan
plateau, it forced and still forces the Tibetan plateau to continue
to move upwards. This essentially caused the formation of the
Himalayas and because of this, Himalayas continue to rise by about 5
mm per year. making them geologically active.
The
area between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate was an ocean
called the Tethys Ocean or Tethys Sea, even just 50 Million years
ago. This sea drained out during the collision of the Indian Plate
with the Eurasian Plate resulting in the formation of the Himalayas.
The sea water may not be there any longer, but the soil surfaces and
rock formations in the Himalayas still naturally resemble what is
generally found at the bottom or floor of any sea. The soil surface
in Himalayas, being an exposed ocean floor, naturally has marine
fossils, mostly of the Ammonites and Belemnites group. (Ammonites and
Belemnites are cone-shaped, fossilized internal shells of an extinct
genus of cephalopods related to the cuttlefish.) These fossils are
known to Indians as 'Shaligram pathar' and are kept in temples and
worship places in homes and are worshiped.
Pithorgarh
is a district in northeastern part of the state of Uttarakhand in
India. Two major Himalayan peaks, Nanda Devi and Trisul are located
in this district, which is flanked by China in the north and Nepal in
the east. In the north of the district almost near the international
border between India and Tibet, lies a small place known as Lapthal.
An adjoining area measuring 500 and 1,000 sq-km, most of which lies
4,500 metres above mean sea level has been found to be an exposed
ocean floor with plenty of marine fossils, mostly of the ammonites
and belemnites group. The area has sparse vegetation, many swamps and
pools in the area and is a home to various species of flora and
fauna. Snow leopard, musk deer, Tibetan wild ass, woolly hare, and
Tibetan wolf are among the species of fauna found in the region.
Uttarakhand
state Government wants to declare this region as a Fossil National
park. An official of the state Government says: “The proposal is
to conserve the fossils and the rare and endangered flora and fauna
of the area. This will also prevent cross-border illegal trade and
poaching of fossils, flora and fauna.” The region is close to the
Indo-Tibetan border. Some part of it lies in Pithoragarh district and
the rest in Chamoli district. The region is guarded by the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Nanda Devi Biosphere
Reserve administration.
The
area can be reached today either by an 18 kilometre trek from Sumna
in Chamoli district or a longer trek from Munsiyari in Pithoragarh
district. However the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has proposed
to costruct a better route from Sumna to Lapthal.
At
present, a detailed proposal for the park is being prepared by the
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve officials and they are also mapping the
area, They say that once their plan is complete it would be submitted
to the state Government.
This
park, when completed, would surely be a fascinating place to visit as
it would be as if one is walking on an ocean floor
6th
January 2013
(Image source: The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/region-near-indotibetan-border-to-be-declared-fossil-national-park/article5542264.ece, images may be copyrighted)
No comments:
Post a Comment