The subcontinent’s geological past can be derived from the dynamic and complex process of classifying India’s rock system. Every one of the numerous rock formations that adorn India’s varied terrain-which stretches from the high Himalayas to the enormous Deccan Plateau—tells a unique tale of sedimentation, tectonic activity, and metamorphism over millions of years.
Through a more thorough understanding of India’s natural resources, environmental landscapes, and seismic dangers, geologists and researchers can better comprehend the complex details of the country’s geological past according to this classification.
This categorization framework provides a platform for researching the geological development of India and revealing the mysteries concealed underneath its rocks by systematically classifying them according to their age, composition, and place of origin.
India is a geological entity made up of several rock systems that date back several ages and periods. India’s rock system system is divided into the following four categories:
The Archaean Rock System, representing one of the oldest rock systems in the world, is characterized by distinctive features and holds significant geological and economic importance:
Period of Formation: Formed approximately 4 billion years ago during the cooling and solidification of molten magma in the Earth’s upper crust, the Archaean rocks mark an ancient era in our planet’s geological history.
Features:
Major Rocks: It consists of Gneiss which covers a significant portion of peninsular India, displaying a range of mineral compositions from granite to gabbro. They often possess foliated or banded structures and Schists which are a prominent component of the Archaean system.
Location: Archaean rocks are found in various regions, including:
Significance: These rocks are economically significant due to their mineral resources, including mica, talc, hornblende, chlorite, and other valuable minerals. These resources contribute to various industrial applications, such as ceramics, paints, electrical components, and more, thereby playing a crucial role in regional and national economies.
The Dharwar System, named after the Dharwar district of Karnataka, represents a significant geological formation with distinct characteristics and economic importance:
Period of Formation: The rocks of the Dharwar System were deposited over three major cycles, spanning a period from about 3,100 million years ago to 1,000 million years ago. This timeframe places them among the oldest sedimentary rock systems on Earth.
Features
Major Rocks: The system comprises a diverse range of rocks, each with its own unique characteristics and mineral composition. These include hornblende, schists, quartzites, phyllites, slates, crystalline limestones, and dolomites.
Location: The Dharwar System is predominantly found
Significance: Economically, the Dharwar System is highly significant due to its rich mineral deposits. These rocks contain valuable minerals such as high-grade iron ore, manganese, copper, lead, gold, and more. The exploitation of these mineral resources contributes significantly to regional and national economies, supporting various industries and infrastructure development.
The Purana Rock System, known for its Proterozoic period formation, holds distinct features and economic significance, particularly in the Indian context:
Period of Formation: The Purana rocks were formed during the Proterozoic period, which spans from 1400 to 600 million years ago. In the Indian context, they are referred to as the Purana Rock system, using the term “Purana” instead of “Proterozoic.”
Features: The Purana Rock System comprises sedimentary metamorphic formations and is typically unfossiliferous, lacking recognizable fossils.
Major Rocks: The rocks within the Purana system include clay, slates, sandstones, limestones, and durable stones.
Location:
Significance:
Classification of Purana Rock System:
The Purana Rock System thus represents a crucial geological and economic resource in India, with diverse mineral deposits and significant industrial potential.
The Dravidian Rock System, belonging to the Palaeozoic era, encompasses distinctive features and significant geological formations:
Period of Formation: The Dravidian period spans from 600 to 300 million years ago, marking the Palaeozoic era. Notably, this period saw the onset of coal formation, particularly high-quality Carboniferous coal, though abundant deposits of such coals are not prevalent in India.
Features
Dravidian rocks are abundant in fossils, marking the beginning of coal formation. Major rock types include shales, sandstones, clays, quartzites, slates, and salts.
Major Rocks: The Dravidian system comprises various rock types such as shales, sandstones, clays, quartzites, salts, talc, dolomite, marble, and coal.
Location
Significance: These rocks host a variety of mineral resources including shale, sandstones, clays, quartzites, salts, talc, dolomite, marble, and coal, contributing to various industrial and economic activities.
Classification of Dravidian Rock System:
The Dravidian Rock System thus represents an important geological period characterized by diverse rock formations and significant mineral resources, contributing to the understanding of Earth’s history and supporting various industrial activities.
The Aryan Rock System encompasses diverse geological formations from the Upper Carboniferous period to Recent times, spanning various regions in India:
Gondwana System:
Jurassic System:
Deccan Trap:
Tertiary System:
Shivalik System:
Pleistocene and Recent (Quaternary):
The Aryan Rock System encompasses a vast array of geological formations, each with its significance in shaping India’s landscape, resources, and environmental characteristics.
The four distinct rock systems that comprise the geographical land area of India are the Archaean, Purana, Dravidian, and Aryan rock systems.
The right response is Gondwana. More than 90% of India's coal comes from the Gondwana rock strata. The Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic Gondwana formations are the source of the term Gondwana Land. Africa, South America, Australia, and India were formerly a part of a region known as "Gondwanaland".
This epoch is represented by the alluvium that is present on the Indo-Gangetic plain. It also include all of the recent alluvial deposits found in the northern regions of India on the Indo-Gangetic plains. This rock system includes the formed karewas, khaddar, and bhangar.
India's oldest rock system is the Archean system. The rocks in this system were created approximately 40004000 million years ago, during the pre-Cambrian era, when the earth's upper crust was cooling and solidifying.
Rocks can be classified into three categories: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Physical processes that are a part of the rock cycle, such as melting, cooling, eroding, compacting, or deforming, created each of these rocks.
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