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Geology, with special reference to the Precambrian

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Ecology and Biogeography in Sri Lanka

Part of the book series: Monographiae Biologicae ((MOBI,volume 57))

Abstract

Geologically, the island of Sri Lanka is an extension of Peninsular India and forms part of the Indian Shield, one of the oldest and most stable parts of the earth’s crust. Early ideas on the island’s geology by pioneers like F.D. Adams (1929), J.S. Coates (1935) and N.D. Wadia (1945) were therefore largely influenced by concepts of the evolution of the crust of south India current at the time. It was only after systematic geological mapping of the island began in 1952 that more recent ideas on the island’s geology and geological history began to emerge. Within the last 15 years or so, the completion of the preliminary geological mapping and of the gravity survey of the island, on-shore and off-shore exploration for oil, and individual research have contributed to a greater understanding of the geology of Sri Lanka, though many major problems remain unsolved.

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© 1984 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, The Hague

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Cooray, P.G. (1984). Geology, with special reference to the Precambrian. In: Fernando, C.H. (eds) Ecology and Biogeography in Sri Lanka. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 57. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6545-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6545-4_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

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