The List : Balancing Rock of Jabalpur

Let's start off with a weird entry...

Balancing rocks are known worldwide for their gravity defying appearance (and also partly because everyone likes to take a picture with them trying to push it off). Now as the name suggests, they mostly occur as large boulders (some as big as buses) resting on other rocks. The most astonishing part about these features though is that they are naturally occurring. The term however is not technically sound; not all 'balancing' rocks are 'balancing' themselves but are actually firmly attached to the rock below. But who cares right? As long as they don't topple over on you while you are busy capturing what would probably end up as your Facebook profile picture.

Now, some of these are so famous that just a picture of the feature can lead you to naming the place where it has been clicked.

The one in Utah, US, is by far the most popular among these. The total height of ‘Balanced Rock’, as it’s called, is about 39 m, with the balancing rock rising 16.75 m above the base (The big rock on top is the size of three school buses).

Balanced Rock, Utah (photo credits : Jean-Christophe Benoist)

Then, there’s the one situated at Kjeragbolten, Norway. Suspended at a height of 984 metres, it takes a lot of courage to go stand atop that. Have a look and decide for yourself.

Kjeragbolten, Norway

However, what is not known is that we have our own stuntmen in India. In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Formed as a result of erosion of volcanic rocks, these are said to have survived an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 on the Richter Scale. Given below are some pictures that show how precarious it is. Agreed, it is not as spectacular as some of its more distinguished siblings but hey, it's a wonder of nature too!

                                     

Balancing Rocks at Jabalpur (source : http://www.jabalpurtourismpc.com)

Don't you agree that this is worth a visit? There are many such hidden gems that are waiting to be discovered. But that’s it for The List now. Got to study. As they say, got to maintain the right ‘balance’ in life.

The List

How many of you have heard of the Grand Canyon? If I had asked you to raise your hand if you had heard of it, 99% of the hands would have gone up (The 1% is for those who were probably scratching something or gorging on some snack while reading this). Now, if I mentioned the Yellowstone National Park (last seen in the geologically horrible movie, 2012) or the Meteor Crater in Arizona, less hands would shoot up but it is still quite popular.

But what if I asked you where we find fossilized dinosaur eggs in India? Stumped right? It is mildly amusing and very surprising that we do not have much knowledge of geological sites that exist right in our own backyard. Not that I do not understand the importance and significance of the above mentioned sites. It's just that maybe it's our own fault when we dream of going to these world-famous sites and crib about it when we can't (money issues!) when all we have to do is hop on a bus or a train and tour our own country which has no shortage of similar wonders.

So, for the next few days, I am going to be mentioning some of the sites that I happened to come upon in my quest to find a cheap and fun way to satisfy my geological curiosity. Do tell me about any sites that you would want to have known or that you would have heard of and would like to visit.

Let's begin The List....

Finally, A Park For Geologists!

Amit Vikram (Banaras Hindu University)

Hi everyone.

I thought of sharing something that all of you must know. It's a matter of  great pride and privilege that within the geographical boundaries of our country lies a place called the Salkhan Fossil Park. As part of our 2nd year B.Sc. field work, we paid a visit to this site to study fossil stromatolites.

It's a large area inside the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh. The preservation is really exceptional and it is now internationally recognized as one of the best preserved sites to study algal stromatolites. About 1400 million years old, belonging to the Proterozoic Eon, they occur as rings on the rocks telling a story back in time.

And to add to all this, this park is 3 times larger than the Yellowstone National Park! Now, that is something...


Blogger's note:

It does seem an interesting location. The link to the site where its location and accessibility are mentioned is: http://www.easternuptourism.com/Salkhan-Fossils-Park.jsp. 

Spread the word. There's an exclusive park for geologists.