Geological education plays a major role in the social, economic, and cultural growth and developm... more Geological education plays a major role in the social, economic, and cultural growth and development of any country. India is a vast diversified country with wide-ranging geological features, consisting of rocks of all geological ages with well-developed physiographic divisions. The Indian lithospheric plate is a storehouse of vast georesources and also serves as a natural field laboratory for developing and testing numerous geological principles. The exploration of Indian georesources began in the past; with the organized exploration began way back in the 1830s. The number of institutions offering geological education is, however, comparatively low. Thus, Geology as a science discipline is less popular in comparison with other science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, and Environmental science, based on enrolment data of the learners enrolled in academic sessions from 2011-2012 to 2018-2019 of the Master's degree programs. Analysis indicates that teaching-le...
Frontiers in forests and global change, Feb 6, 2023
Soil erosion is a major environmental problem that affects land and w ater resources. It has many... more Soil erosion is a major environmental problem that affects land and w ater resources. It has many negative implications that lead to deforestation, poor agricultural practices, loss of soil fertility, and siltation that hinder socio-economic development. In view of this, the present study was conducted with the aim of estimating soil loss in relation to long-term land use/land cover change (LULC) in the Dehar watershed, Himachal Himalaya, North India. The study was carried out using Landsat and Sentinel imageries for the years 1999, 2010, and 2020. A GIS-based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was applied to assess the potential soil risk. The parameters used as input for computing the spatiotemporal changes of soil loss were rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topographic, crop management, and conservation support practice factors. The results showed a mean soil loss of 63.71, 60.99, and 66.71 t/ha/yr for the years 1999, 2010, and 2020, respectively. In the LULC class defined as Built-up Land, the mean soil loss decreased from 32.19 t/ha/yr in 1999 to 18.77 t/ha/yr in 2010, and in the year 2020 the mean soil loss slightly increased to 20.15 t/ha/yr. Moreover, the LULC class Barren Land registered a decrease in mean soil loss for the years 1999, 2010, and 2020 of 86.43, 74.60, and 73.19 t/ha/yr, respectively. Regarding the Agriculture Land class, the rate of mean soil loss slightly increased from 32.55 t/ha/yr in 1999 to 33.35 t/ha/yr in 2010, and the mean soil loss decreased to 25.43 t/ha/yr in the year 2020. Areas covered under Forest Land experienced an increase in mean soil loss from 65.30 t/ha/yr in 1999 to 65.87 in 2010 and 74.72 t/ha/yr in 2020. The study demonstrated that LULC changes apparently influenced the soil loss in the Dehar watershed. Therefore, urgent interventions are required with the involvement of scientists, policymakers, and the general public for conservation and management of soil resources.
Extensive research carried out on the Cretaceous deposits of Laurasia has revealed an overwhelmin... more Extensive research carried out on the Cretaceous deposits of Laurasia has revealed an overwhelming presence of eutherian, metatherian and multituberculate groups of mammals in the Cretaceous ecosystems of Northern Hemisphere continents. In contrast, the relatively poorly documented fossil record of Cretaceous mammals from Gondwanan continents is represented by gondwanatherians, dryolestoids, and a few multituberculates and haramiyidans. Until now, no undoubted eutherian mammals have been reported from the Cretaceous strata of the southern continents except for India. In this context, Indian Cretaceous mammals assume great significance for understanding the origin and evolution of these mammals in Gondwana. Currently, the Cretaceous mammals of India include three groups, viz., eutherians, gondwanatherians, and haramiyidans. These three mammalian groups were recovered primarily from the Upper Cretaceous Deccan infra–and inter–trappean beds of peninsular India exposed near Bacharam, Na...
Water, Cryosphere, and Climate Change in the Himalayas, 2021
Increases in anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are considered to be t... more Increases in anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are considered to be the major driving force behind current climate change. Although climate change is not a new phenomenon, the impact of these emissions on the earth’s climate and environment has serious implications for human occupation. The geological record of the earth provides numerous examples that climate has not been uniform through its history, and has been significantly altered from time to time. It also indicates that events of past climate change have severely impacted the earth’s environment and caused widespread destruction of ecosystems. Understanding climate change is therefore of great concern to human lives because it is expected to have wide-ranging effects on the future sustainability of Mother Earth. It poses a serious threat to India—the largest agricultural nation in the South Asian region. India has a population of over 1.2 billion that makes it one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. Climate scientists estimate an increase of 2.1° to 2.6 °C in temperature by 2050 and around 3.3° to 3.8 °C by 2080 over the Indian region that is already experiencing climate change. Further change is predicted to have adverse impacts on natural resources such as freshwater supply, Himalayan glaciers and rivers, agriculture, biodiversity and human health. Change is expected to result in increases in the frequencies of extreme weather events, including increased precipitation, droughts, rising sea level and the submergence of low-lying coastal areas, floods and cyclones. Climate induced-immigration from neighbouring nations may also put additional strain on its resources. Consequently, an understanding of climate change and its potential impact on natural resources, both in general and in the Indian region in particular, is important because it will affect the lives of millions of people. This article presents an overview of climate change research, the potential impacts of climate change on natural resources (with reference to India) and the possibilities of mitigation.
All living organisms on the earth require elements (major, minor, and trace) for their survival, ... more All living organisms on the earth require elements (major, minor, and trace) for their survival, and excessive or insufficient consumption of such elements cause serious health problems. These elements usually reside in earth material of the geosphere from where they enter into biosphere through various continuously operating geological processes such as weathering, erosion, transportation, or volcanic eruptions. Medical geology is a new and emerging branch of geosciences that studies material derived from geological processes and its effects on the health of animals and plants. The relationship between elements derived from the geological processes and their impacts on human beings had been recognized from ancient times. Keeping the importance of medical geology to the society, various organizations had been working to popularize medical geology and to bring its benefits to the society by organizing various activities and offering courses in medical geology. Currently, medical geol...
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: Science, 2017
The anthology and study of literature is an imperative aspect of any scientific research. Indeed,... more The anthology and study of literature is an imperative aspect of any scientific research. Indeed, it provides the current status of the research problem and highlights any lacunas or flaws remaining in it. In addition, it also avoids the duplication of research work, increases the understanding of the research problem and provides better ways to address it. While describing a fossil specimen, the collection of literature becomes a serious concern in order to know whether the fossil was previously described. Earlier, the collection of palaeontological literature was not an easy task, but now the recent advent of information and communication technology, including internet browsing, makes the collection of literature much easier and rapid and, thus, extensively facilitates carrying out research in palaeontology rapidly.
Abstract Bulk sampling from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences... more Abstract Bulk sampling from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences at Kisalpuri (District Dindori, Madhya Pradesh) and Pisdura–Dongargaon (Chandrapur District, Maharashtra) in Peninsular India has yielded the dental remains of myliobatid and pycnodont fish. This fish fauna comprises Igdabatis indicus, Pycnodontoidea indet. and Pycnodontidae indet., and resembles assemblages known from Upper Cretaceous deposits in Africa and Europe. While paleobiogeographically speaking, the presence of Igdabatis suggests a series of shallow marine dispersals that may have occurred between Africa and India, possibly along the margins of the Kohistan–Ladakh island arc during the latest Cretaceous; the record of pycnodont fish favours instead a Gondwanan dispersal event.
Geological education plays a major role in the social, economic, and cultural growth and developm... more Geological education plays a major role in the social, economic, and cultural growth and development of any country. India is a vast diversified country with wide-ranging geological features, consisting of rocks of all geological ages with well-developed physiographic divisions. The Indian lithospheric plate is a storehouse of vast georesources and also serves as a natural field laboratory for developing and testing numerous geological principles. The exploration of Indian georesources began in the past; with the organized exploration began way back in the 1830s. The number of institutions offering geological education is, however, comparatively low. Thus, Geology as a science discipline is less popular in comparison with other science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Zoology, Botany, and Environmental science, based on enrolment data of the learners enrolled in academic sessions from 2011-2012 to 2018-2019 of the Master's degree programs. Analysis indicates that teaching-le...
Frontiers in forests and global change, Feb 6, 2023
Soil erosion is a major environmental problem that affects land and w ater resources. It has many... more Soil erosion is a major environmental problem that affects land and w ater resources. It has many negative implications that lead to deforestation, poor agricultural practices, loss of soil fertility, and siltation that hinder socio-economic development. In view of this, the present study was conducted with the aim of estimating soil loss in relation to long-term land use/land cover change (LULC) in the Dehar watershed, Himachal Himalaya, North India. The study was carried out using Landsat and Sentinel imageries for the years 1999, 2010, and 2020. A GIS-based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was applied to assess the potential soil risk. The parameters used as input for computing the spatiotemporal changes of soil loss were rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topographic, crop management, and conservation support practice factors. The results showed a mean soil loss of 63.71, 60.99, and 66.71 t/ha/yr for the years 1999, 2010, and 2020, respectively. In the LULC class defined as Built-up Land, the mean soil loss decreased from 32.19 t/ha/yr in 1999 to 18.77 t/ha/yr in 2010, and in the year 2020 the mean soil loss slightly increased to 20.15 t/ha/yr. Moreover, the LULC class Barren Land registered a decrease in mean soil loss for the years 1999, 2010, and 2020 of 86.43, 74.60, and 73.19 t/ha/yr, respectively. Regarding the Agriculture Land class, the rate of mean soil loss slightly increased from 32.55 t/ha/yr in 1999 to 33.35 t/ha/yr in 2010, and the mean soil loss decreased to 25.43 t/ha/yr in the year 2020. Areas covered under Forest Land experienced an increase in mean soil loss from 65.30 t/ha/yr in 1999 to 65.87 in 2010 and 74.72 t/ha/yr in 2020. The study demonstrated that LULC changes apparently influenced the soil loss in the Dehar watershed. Therefore, urgent interventions are required with the involvement of scientists, policymakers, and the general public for conservation and management of soil resources.
Extensive research carried out on the Cretaceous deposits of Laurasia has revealed an overwhelmin... more Extensive research carried out on the Cretaceous deposits of Laurasia has revealed an overwhelming presence of eutherian, metatherian and multituberculate groups of mammals in the Cretaceous ecosystems of Northern Hemisphere continents. In contrast, the relatively poorly documented fossil record of Cretaceous mammals from Gondwanan continents is represented by gondwanatherians, dryolestoids, and a few multituberculates and haramiyidans. Until now, no undoubted eutherian mammals have been reported from the Cretaceous strata of the southern continents except for India. In this context, Indian Cretaceous mammals assume great significance for understanding the origin and evolution of these mammals in Gondwana. Currently, the Cretaceous mammals of India include three groups, viz., eutherians, gondwanatherians, and haramiyidans. These three mammalian groups were recovered primarily from the Upper Cretaceous Deccan infra–and inter–trappean beds of peninsular India exposed near Bacharam, Na...
Water, Cryosphere, and Climate Change in the Himalayas, 2021
Increases in anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are considered to be t... more Increases in anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are considered to be the major driving force behind current climate change. Although climate change is not a new phenomenon, the impact of these emissions on the earth’s climate and environment has serious implications for human occupation. The geological record of the earth provides numerous examples that climate has not been uniform through its history, and has been significantly altered from time to time. It also indicates that events of past climate change have severely impacted the earth’s environment and caused widespread destruction of ecosystems. Understanding climate change is therefore of great concern to human lives because it is expected to have wide-ranging effects on the future sustainability of Mother Earth. It poses a serious threat to India—the largest agricultural nation in the South Asian region. India has a population of over 1.2 billion that makes it one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. Climate scientists estimate an increase of 2.1° to 2.6 °C in temperature by 2050 and around 3.3° to 3.8 °C by 2080 over the Indian region that is already experiencing climate change. Further change is predicted to have adverse impacts on natural resources such as freshwater supply, Himalayan glaciers and rivers, agriculture, biodiversity and human health. Change is expected to result in increases in the frequencies of extreme weather events, including increased precipitation, droughts, rising sea level and the submergence of low-lying coastal areas, floods and cyclones. Climate induced-immigration from neighbouring nations may also put additional strain on its resources. Consequently, an understanding of climate change and its potential impact on natural resources, both in general and in the Indian region in particular, is important because it will affect the lives of millions of people. This article presents an overview of climate change research, the potential impacts of climate change on natural resources (with reference to India) and the possibilities of mitigation.
All living organisms on the earth require elements (major, minor, and trace) for their survival, ... more All living organisms on the earth require elements (major, minor, and trace) for their survival, and excessive or insufficient consumption of such elements cause serious health problems. These elements usually reside in earth material of the geosphere from where they enter into biosphere through various continuously operating geological processes such as weathering, erosion, transportation, or volcanic eruptions. Medical geology is a new and emerging branch of geosciences that studies material derived from geological processes and its effects on the health of animals and plants. The relationship between elements derived from the geological processes and their impacts on human beings had been recognized from ancient times. Keeping the importance of medical geology to the society, various organizations had been working to popularize medical geology and to bring its benefits to the society by organizing various activities and offering courses in medical geology. Currently, medical geol...
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: Science, 2017
The anthology and study of literature is an imperative aspect of any scientific research. Indeed,... more The anthology and study of literature is an imperative aspect of any scientific research. Indeed, it provides the current status of the research problem and highlights any lacunas or flaws remaining in it. In addition, it also avoids the duplication of research work, increases the understanding of the research problem and provides better ways to address it. While describing a fossil specimen, the collection of literature becomes a serious concern in order to know whether the fossil was previously described. Earlier, the collection of palaeontological literature was not an easy task, but now the recent advent of information and communication technology, including internet browsing, makes the collection of literature much easier and rapid and, thus, extensively facilitates carrying out research in palaeontology rapidly.
Abstract Bulk sampling from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences... more Abstract Bulk sampling from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences at Kisalpuri (District Dindori, Madhya Pradesh) and Pisdura–Dongargaon (Chandrapur District, Maharashtra) in Peninsular India has yielded the dental remains of myliobatid and pycnodont fish. This fish fauna comprises Igdabatis indicus, Pycnodontoidea indet. and Pycnodontidae indet., and resembles assemblages known from Upper Cretaceous deposits in Africa and Europe. While paleobiogeographically speaking, the presence of Igdabatis suggests a series of shallow marine dispersals that may have occurred between Africa and India, possibly along the margins of the Kohistan–Ladakh island arc during the latest Cretaceous; the record of pycnodont fish favours instead a Gondwanan dispersal event.
—The Cretaceous was a special time for the Indian plate as it was separated from Gondwana landmas... more —The Cretaceous was a special time for the Indian plate as it was separated from Gondwana landmasses and started its northward journey across the Tethys Sea towards the Equator. The northward movement of this plate implied shifting latitudes and climate belts, until it finally collided with Asia during the early Cenozoic. Geophysical data and plate tectonic models show that after splitting from Gondwana, the Indian plate remained as an isolated continent for more than 45 Ma during the Cretaceous; thus, it predicts a remarkable biotic endemism for the continent. Paleontological data on the Cretaceous vertebrates of India is best known for Maastrichtian time; in turn, the pre-Maastrichtian record is very poor—it contains very few fossils of fishes and marine reptiles. The Maastrichtian fossil record comprises vertebrates of Gondwana and Laurasian affinities and some endemic, ancient lineages as well. In order to explain the presence of vertebrates of multiple affinities in the Late Cretaceous of India, various biogeographic models have been proposed. The latter include extinctions, endemism, vicariance, dispersal (sweepstakes, filters and corridors), " Noah's Ark, " " Docked Noah's Ark, " " Viking Funeral Ship " and " land spans, " thus accounting for the biotic implications of the Cretaceous northward drifting of the Indian plate. The current paleontological data suggest the existence of both southern and northern biotic dispersals/connections, however, geophysical data instead favor a biotic endemism for the Indian plate during the Late Cretaceous. Here, an attempt has been made to document the consistencies between geophysical and paleontological data, in order to understand the biogeography of the Late Cretaceous vertebrates of India.
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