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Heavy rainfalls battered the western Himalayas last week due to a clash between monsoon currents and winds from the Caspian Sea.  by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist Ranchi.

Inadequate surface drainage and encroachment in the floodplains has caused the floods of Kashmir. By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist Ranchi . Heavy rainfalls battered the western Himalayas last week due to a clash between monsoon currents and winds from the Caspian Sea. The Srinagar weather station – in the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir – recorded 250 mm of rain between September 3-6. For hundreds of million years Kashmir Valley is supposed to have remained under Tethys Sea and the high sedimentary-rock hills seen in the valley now were once under water. Geologists have come to believe that Kashmir Valley was earlier affected by earthquakes. Once there was such a devastating earthquake that it broke open the mountain wall at Baramulla and the water of the Satisar lake flowed out leaving behind latchstring mud on the margins of the mountains known as karewas. Thus came into existence the oval but irregular Valley of Kashmir. In September 2014, the ...

The hills of Ranchi are generally small isolated residual hills.  By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi.  Fig.1. A small hill in Pithoria. The hills of Ranchi are generally small isolated residual hills. In Ranchi hills are generally steepsided made of massive granite-gneiss. We have also found the hills which are not steepsided but a mere irregular pile of huge boulders were found on the hills especially in Pithoria area of Ranchi district. This is the result of highly jointed elements of granite gneiss. According to climatic geomorphologist like Tricart qualify such hills as inselbergs. They are steepsided residual hills made of massive granite-gneiss. But close by within a few kilometers or a few hundred meters we have residuals which are not steepsided inselbergs but a mere irregular pile of huge boulders. The rocks disintegrate along these joints under the hydrothermal and atmospheric effects thus leading to the formation of tors or rounded shapes of these ancient granite rocks a...

Frequency of landslides in India is indeed increasing.  By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist. Malin, the village in Pune district that was flattened by a landslide few days back claiming more than 130 lives, has brought the focus back on the management –or mismanagement – of the vulnerable hills of India especially Western Ghats, Himalayas and North Eastern states. The torrential rain on July 30 near Pune perhaps would not have brought down a side of the hill had it not been weakened by quarrying, leveling and deforestation activities banned in the old weathered hills and ecologically sensitive areas. Last year it was Uttrakhand this year it is Malin and Nepal. A massive landslide in Nepal   triggered by continuous monsoon rains, caused 10 deaths, displaced 5,000 families and destroyed dozens of houses. The landslide has also blocked the Sunkoshi River and forming a lake which is threatening to cause downstream flash floods. Heavy rainfall in June last year wreaked havoc ac...

The aim of Geotourism is to make visitors aware of, and to gain some understanding of, the geological features that surround them. by Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist.  Geotourism is the kind of travel that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Geography—from which “geotourism” derives—is not just about where places are. It’s also about what places are. It’s about what makes one place different from the next. That includes not only flora and fauna, which is the realm of ecotourism, but also historic structures and archaeological sites, scenic landscapes, traditional architecture, and locally grown music, cuisine, crafts, dances, and other arts. Many people sum up that combination of elements as “sense of place.” Since most tourists travel with a variety of interests, geotourism’s holistic approach provides a synergistic effect unavailable to niches like adventure, eco-, o...

Illegal and indiscriminate river sand mining is going to cause a large number of environmental and social problems in World. By Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi Geologist.  This is Kanchi river which provides sands to Ranchi district.   This is Jumar River near Ranchi which now contains less sand deposit due to over exploitation. Illegal sand mining is a scourge in states across India. The latest battle in Gautum Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, where sub divisional magistrate (SDM) was suspended from service, has served to highlight the plight of rivers ravaged. Construction work on projects worth thousands of crores of rupees in Jharkhand has been affected by a sand crisis caused by the on-again, off-again auction policy. River sand is a product of natural weathering of rocks over a period of millions of years. It is mined from the river beds. River sand is becoming a scarce commodity now. River (Fresh water) sand is far superior for construction purposes than any other sand used in ...