Kashmir Triassic Fossils Effaced : Untold Story || Bhushan Parimoo || LIVE IMAGE ~ LIVE IMAGE

Another attempt has been made for Triassic Fossil Park in Kashmir at Khonmoh, District Pulwama . The Ziraat Times carried the news the other day that the Environmental Policy Group & Srinagar Smart City Limited CEO cum Commissioner SMC Athar Amir Khan discussed Kashmir Triassic Fossil Park, Guryul Ravines, Khonmoh on the World Tourism Day .Wherein a PowerPoint lasting for about two hours was presented for the events dating back to 260-252 million years .

(1) The Guryul Ravines , Khonmoh, geologically known as Vihi District , are the repository fossil beds dating back to 260 million years( pre-Dinosaur Permian period.The Tethys Ocean existed where Guryul Ravine , Khonmoh, now stands. The Guryul Ravine rocks are scientifically critical for geological research on the Permian/Triassic boundary which saw sudden extinction of upto 90% of all marine species and 70% of land species living about 252 million years ago. The Guryul Ravines is world famous as being among the most complete and important of that period and enjoyed Global Stratotype status till 2004; yet has been little studied.The events of massive extinction ( known as mother of extinctions) 252 million years ago are best preserved in Kashmir. The World’s first ever recorded Tsunami event is well preserved in the rocks of Guryul Ravines.

The Khonmoh PT section of 3 metres is much larger than 27 cm of Meishan. Section(China) attracting millions of tourists. A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Natural Reserve New York, USA- the World’s largest Fossil Park in providing technical support required for development of Kashmir Triassic Fossil Park.
And a joint strategy chalked out for developing the internationally acknowledged Fossil Park in coming weeks.

Prior to it the then Director Tourism Kashmir Mehmood Ahmed Shah, during 2018 took note of its importance and acquired a land measuring about 25 kanals of land that was duly fenced. He has written an elaborate write up with regards to its relevance to protect the site and develop it as a Fossil Park which had far more importance than other Fossil parks around the world.

But the point is what has been left to show of this exceptionally once well-preserved organic remains of the camoebians (testate amoebae) in marine sediments that straddle the greatest extinction event in the Phanero-zoic: the Permian-Triassic Boundary. Outcrops from the Late Permian Zewan Formation and the Early Triassic Khonmoh deposits represents a complete sedimentary sequence here or elsewhere in the Kashmir valley of this geological treasure which had been subjected to detail investigation from the beginning of the nineteenth Century onwards .

While Park shall provide a glimpse of its deposition history at the same time scenario all around shall drop enough horrifying hints to the Geological fraternity visitors from the world about our insensitiveness, and failure to preserve these invaluable rare treasures the valley once possessed of which a few remnants has been now left here and there. Guryul patch in Khanmoh, being flat , unlike spur around , mining was not profitable that factor came to its rescue , otherwise it should have also met the same fate as have been meted with almost entire Triassic fossil pockets from western end in Panjratan, near Panthachowk right up to Eastern side up to Chekh Sangari, in between generally called Zewan Spur entirely wiped out without any remorse .

Subjected reckless extraction for masonry stone and raw material for the cement factories.Which has left behind nothing but ugly scars leaving hardly any trace of Fossil it once possessed. On the assurance of anonymity one of the veteran Geologist sons of the soil when sought his views to be doubly sure about my field driven assessments about the Zewan Spur and around shared,Zewan spur, a store house of Permian fauna, has almost completely vanished due to quarrying as a building stone.

He remembered at Indira Nagar, Srinagar, the bulk of the material used to come from the above site. The rubble used to be full of fossil shells and fenestellid Bryozoa. Felt painful seeing this treasure getting wasted but had no control .It has not been done in a day but over decades unhindered , the license to extract was issued not out of ignorance but for consideration by no one other than the Director of the J&k Geology and Mining Department.

Even an elementary Geological student of the state knows or should know its importance, as such the Department of Geology and Mining instead of protecting it as one of the geological treasures has become a reason to vandalise and destroy it a heinous crime carried with impunity.Strange enough Kashmir inhabitants who knew its importance, like Kashmir University.

Colleges and the geologists of the repute that inhabit in the valley never raised any objection, reason better known to them, history cannot and should not spare them from condemning their lackadaisical approach. Normally it could have not been done but the inquest revealed that the department of J&K Geology and Mining is under the spell of nonprofessional management . Was established for Geological explorations to improve upon what was already known in 1960 .Its mandate has been to carry out the work on Geological investigation on the laid down parameters , State forms one of the signification segments of the Himalayan range and other formations correlated formations, unknotting riddles of missing links should have been matter of intensive and extensive studies , impact of climate change , abnormal sprouting of Hydroelectric projects, seismology, Glaciology, Paleontological and mineral inquest.

Instead it confined itself to as a Royalty contractor, for permitting to extract Stones Bajri, Sand and gravels. Over the passage of time proved a futile exercise . In its entire history of sixty years of establishment, out of thirteen Directors the Department has so far , only two were the Geologist. Mr Tasadiq Hussain, its first directo another Sh A, R Mir rest non technical.

Geological fraternity world over is bound to ask rational, behind such a callous approach to deal with such a sensitive and important subject. Kashmir has Terasic Fossils , at other places too such as Apharwat,Bren, Gulabgarh, Gulmarg, Khanmuh,Marhoum,Nagmarg, Muzaffarabadh , Singpore etc. It was Richard Dixon Oldham during 1904, who located Zewan beds in Vihi district Kashmir , that led to further studies by other Geologists as well. The Geologists from the state are second to none and have created a niche for themselves world over among the geological fraternity.

State exhibits its own unique Geological formation, and possesses a complete Geological calendar. For a Geologist, once in a lifetime Pilgrimage to Kashmir to study its geology is a desire in preference to acquire firsthand knowledge and study it from various aspects.Geological fraternity world over is bound to ask rational, behind such a callous approach to deal with such a sensitive and important subject.

It requires mention the Geological investigation was started in the State during Maharaja Ranbir Singh during 1862, before the establishment of Geological Survey of India was established ,with Frederick Drew serving as a Geologist.