RAJKOT: In a major discovery, scientists and geologists have found that features of five sites in Kutch bear much resemblance to the geological activity taking place on planet Mars.
Scientists determined that these were terrestrial analogue sites - places on Earth whose features have an analogy with planetary bodies - using rover and orbiter-based remote sensing data from the different missions of the past several decades to study Martian analog in the Kutch basin.
This study was done jointly by Kutch university's department of earth and environment science, ISRO, Ahmedabad, IIT-Kharagpur, PDPU, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Ahmedabad, Michigan Technological University, USA, University of Kerala and Presidency University, Kolkata.
The five sites are Dhinodhar Hill, Luna, Dhordo, Mata No Madh and Laiari River section. Scientists said these places have volcanic and impact craters, sediments, rocks as well as several minerals similar to those seen during geological activity on Mars. Dhordo is famed for the winter white desert festival Rann Utsav while Mata No Madh is the most-visited temple of goddess Ashapura.
The study suggests that the Kutch basin, which has a vast range of geological features representing the past 200 million years, provides an opportunity to explore Martian analogue.
"The present-day geology and geomorphological features in Kutch basin bear a variety of landforms and geological sections, which can act as analogs for the present and past Martian history," it states. The analogue sites are important in reconstructing the paleontological history of other terrestrial bodies.
Subhash Bhandari, one of the authors of the paper and scientist at Kutch university, said "All these sites have ample geo-heritage potential and there is an urgent need to conserve them. Establishing geoparks and developing geotourism here will enhance the earth and planetary sciences study apart from boosting the local economy."
Mata No Madh, in particular, requires urgent conservation as a terrestrial site, because of continuous and heavy human movement, being a key pilgrimage centre.
"Five sites are discussed in detail with their scientific, educational, esthetic and cultural importance and further proposed as geoheritage sites with national, international, and interplanetary stature. The sites are both geologically and culturally diverse. The inclusion of socio-cultural sites in geotourism planning provides an opportunity for the locals of the region to generate a source of income as well as preserve and showcase their culture to people coming from different parts of the country and across the world," he said.
