Varkala cliff

About Varkala cliff:

• Location: It is a beautiful natural formation located in Varkala, a coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.
• The cliff, including both northern and southern ones, covering a total distance of 3 km exposes the sedimentary rock formation of the Mio-pliocene Age.
• Varkala was the only place in the west coast of the country where sediments in the Mio-Pliocene age (13 lakh to 2.5 crore years ago) had been exposed.
• The cliff, also known as the North Cliff, stretches along the coast for about one kilometre, towering up to 80 metres above the sea level at some points.
• The Papanasam Beach, located at the base of the cliff, is revered for its natural springs and believed to have therapeutic properties.
• It is a crucial aquifer and natural water harvesting system for coastal communities, hosted unique biodiversity in its microhabitat, and supports underwater reefs essential for local fishing communities.
• It is the 27th national geological monument in the country and the second in the State after the Angadipuram Laterite.

Key facts about the Geological Survey of India

• It was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways.
• Over the years, it has grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country.
• Its main role includes providing objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and geoscientific information of all kinds, with a focus on policy-making decisions, and commercial and socio-economic needs.
• It is headquartered in Kolkata and has six regional offices located at Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata. Every state has a state unit.
• It is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines.

Q1: What is Geology?

The word geology means 'Study of the Earth'. Also known as geoscience or earth science, Geology is the primary Earth science and looks at how the earth formed, its structure and composition, and the types of processes acting on it.

News: Declining state of Varkala cliff: NGT issues notice to GSI, others