Kashmir’s Guryul Ravine has been declared a national geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
The wealth of fossils found at the site dates back around 250 million years. Located at Khanmoh, on the outskirts of Srinagar, the site has been identified as a natural record keeper of the world’s “mother of extinctions” and has the potential to become India’s first UNESCO geo-heritage site.
Such sites are recognised for their scientific, educational, cultural, or geological value, offering rare insights into the history of the Earth. The Guryul Ravine is the first such site in Jammu and Kashmir, now entitled to protection and conservation. The declaration is expected to attract global researchers, scientists, and geological tourism.
According to senior GSI officials, three sites in Kashmir, including Guryul, have been declared geo-heritage zones.
Geologically known as the Vihi district, the Guryul Ravine holds evidence of the Permian–Triassic extinction event—the greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history, when 95 per cent of marine life and 75 per cent of land life disappeared about 252 million years ago.
The site is expected to get protection from authorities to prevent damage by human activity. Earlier, residents of the area earned their livelihood through mining and quarrying, which damaged the fossils. However, after a ban on mining in 2007, locals began cooperating with authorities to preserve the site, realising its historical and scientific importance.
Despite this, the threat to the site continues due to the development of an industrial estate in the area.
In 2017, a joint team from Jammu University, J&K’s Geology and Mining Department, and University College London recommended declaring the Guryul Ravine a Zone of Geological Importance and called for a complete ban on mining.
Researchers from the USA, Japan, Taipei, China, and Europe are now studying the site. Over 30 scientific papers have already been published, and experts hope to complete the research within the next 15 years. |
