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Geoheritage Merits of the Zanskar Range of the Kashmir Himalaya: a Field Geology Museum from Precambrian to Present

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Abstract

The Zanskar Range is unique in varied aspects and is always been an attraction to the geoscientists and tourists due to its geographic location. The most of the area and routes are not easily accessible but it is the place where the glaciers are accessible by road and hence the best place for the study on glacial geomorphology and geology. Geologically, it represents the northwestern extension of the Spiti Basin, and constitutes the southern part of the Ladakh Himalaya. This range lies between the Great Himalayan and Ladakh ranges from SW and NE. It exposes the Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC), Paleo-Mesozoic Tethyan Sequences, and Indus Suture Zone composed of Kargil Mollase, flysch, and ophiolitic mélange. It is an ideal field museum of young orogenic tectonic and lithological settings and faunal remains from Cambrian onwards. Sediments of the Zanskar Range show sub-vertically, tightly folded, and wedge type structures in the north and open to tight folds in the south. In the present study, we have revealed the geoheritage value of each of its exposures taking the field, areal-air, and Google traverses from Kargil to Zangla along the Suru, Shankoo, Doda, and Zanskar valleys and air traverse from Leh to Lesser Himalaya of Kashmir. It is also an ideal sequence of Quaternary glacial episodes, the natural laboratory, and the open practical school for earth scientists. Eleven geoheritage sites are proposed in the Zanskar region with several geotopes under each site, covering many potential sites of this region. In the coming days, the geopark of the Zanskar may be envisaged.

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Acknowledgements

M. G. Thakkar is thankful to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, for providing financial support for the 5th national field workshop in Zanskar Himalaya through grant number: SR/FTP/ES (TR)-168/2014. MGT is also grateful to Navin Juyal for his field teachings in Quaternary of Zanskar. Authors are highly indebted to the Zanskari people who supported during the field traverses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, KSKV Kachchh University, Kachchh, Bhuj, 370001, India

    M. G. Thakkar, Gaurav Chauhan & Aadil Hussain Padder

  2. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33, G.M.S. Road, Dehradun, 248 001, India

    Suraj Kumar Parcha & V. C. Thakur

  3. Geoscience Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380009, India

    Shubhra Sharma

  4. Peregrine Destinations, First Floor, Jokhang Complex, Main Market, Leh, Ladakh, 941901, India

    C. P. Dorjay

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  1. M. G. Thakkar
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All the authors have participated in the field, generated data regarding the manuscript, and prepared all the figures and drafted the manuscript.

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Thakkar, M.G., Chauhan, G., Padder, A.H. et al. Geoheritage Merits of the Zanskar Range of the Kashmir Himalaya: a Field Geology Museum from Precambrian to Present. Geoheritage 15, 75 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00842-9

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