Geology experts seek ‘National Geo Heritage’ tag for Ramgarh crater
KOTA: Geology experts have demanded the status of ‘National Geological Site’ and ‘World Heritage Site’ for the Ramgarh crater in Baran district of Rajasthan for its conservation and promotion as a geo-tourism site.
After Lonar crater of Buldhana in Maharashtra and Dhala crater of Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Ramgarh crater of Baran in Rajasthan is the third impact crater of the country, they say. Geologists, researching on the Ramgarh impact crater site for long time, have confirmed it as an impact crater on the basis of geological evidences.
Last Saturday, a two-member team of geology experts from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), working for the conservation of heritage in India, visited the Ramgarh crater site and demanded for its declaration as the World Heritage Site.
“Ramgarh crater structure is not only geo heritage of Rajasthan but entire country and if National Geo Heritage site status is accorded to the site, then it can beget its due recognition,” said INTACH’S Dr Manu Bhatnagar, principal director, Natural Heritage and Arvind Shukla, principal director, Chapter Division, in a statement.
Talking about the Ramgarh crater, INTACH’S Baran chapter president Jitendra Kumar Sharma said, “Despite being a beautiful geological structure and country’s third crater structure, there is lack of awareness about it. It is a beautiful structure which can lure tourists and geologists from entire globe, but the site seems to be overlooked by the authorities.”
Sharma said National Geo Heritage Site status can promote Ramgarh crater as a geo-tourism site. “Since there is no special status for the Ramgarh crater s i t e , t here i s no at t e nt i on towards its conservation and promotion. Hence, its recognition is necessary,” he said.
Dr Satyanaryan Rana, a Rajasthan-based geoscientist and researcher at Mohanlal Sukhadia University of Udaipur, in a research had discovered evidences of a ‘meteorite impact’ at Ramgarh in Baran district to prove the existence of Ramgarh crater’. Dr Rana also stresses on the need for the conservation Ramgarh crater as an impact crater site.
“The evidences found in research work on Ramgarh crater strongly indicate its origin due to a meteorite impact,” he said.
He said that the crater is not older than 650 million years.
Dr MN Mi s h r a , d e p u t y director general, western zone, Geological Survey of India (GSI), said, “Ramgarh crater is an impact crater site, but officially GSI has not recognised it as National Geo Heritage site, but GSI will soon prepare a proposal to induct Ramgarh crater in the list of its National Geo Heritage sites.”
Dr Rana said that Ramgarh circular structure (25º 20’ N: 76º 37’ E) is a geomorphic feature of regional scale situated in Rajasthan, at the northern margin of Baran district, about 110 km from Kota city (around 350 km from Jaipur) and occupies an area of about 16 sq km with a diameter of approximately 4 km, ri si ng 250 metre above t he ground and closely resembles Meteor Crater of Arizona, USA, in terms of shape. It is located amid the vast plains in the Vindhyan basin of Rajasthan, which due to its discrete elevation and appearance in field, is visible from a distance of 8-10 kms.
Ramgarh crater has attracted the attention of geologists since its discovery in 1869 when a foreign researcher Mallet first visited the area and later several geologists visited the area for field investigations.