Khejri Tree can predict earthquakes- says a report.

Khejri plants are available in plenty in desert areas of India.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi.

Earthquakes present a frightening experience in the lives of the men. The disaster strikes suddenly, similar to that of lightning, tornadoes or nuclear explosions. It is estimated that, on an average, about 15,000 human lives are lost every year, while in a single year of 1976 about 2,00,000 were killed by earthquakes in China, Guatemala, Philippines and in other parts of the world. The damage to property runs into billions of dollars. The growing demand on seismologists to predict earthquakes is therefore, not unjustified.

It is easy to achieve better success in forecasting those disciplines of science which are directly accessible to observations, such as atmosphere. In the case of solid earth, however, difficulties of digging even a few kilometers to reach the focal zone of earthquakes for in situ observations are well known. Nevertheless, a beginning has been made to evolve methods of forecasting earthquakes and limited success has been achieved.

Of the other forecasting methods, plants like Khejri (Prosopis cineraria ) is now catching the eyes of geoscientists. According to a research report in Rajasthan State of India, we can gauge the geological tremors through the leaves of Khejri. In case, the activities under the earth decrease, then the leaves of Khejri trees faint. The geologists say that the loss of life and property can be prevented through the pre-indication of Khejri leaves planted in the earthquake –prone areas. The specialists advise to plant and protect the Khejri tree.

Prosopis cineraria tree grows in dry and arid regions of Arabia and in regions of India mainly Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Western Uttar Pradesh and drier parts of Deccan and extends as far as South in Tuticorin. In this region also it is confined only to comparatively drier areas where the normal annual rainfall is less than 500 mm. In the most important areas of Prosopis cineraria distribution, the climate is dry to arid and rainfall shows considerable variation 100 to 600 mm annually with a long dry season.

But before coming to any conclusion more research is needed on this plant.

Earlier unusual behaviour of the animals prior to earthquake received wide publicity after the Haichang earthquake of February 4, 1975 was successfully predicted in China. In Japan, innumerable rats were seen every day in a restaurant in Nagoya city, which suddenly disappeared on the evening prior to the Nobi earthquake of 1891. As early as 1886, a seismologist named Miline had mentioned that dogs escaped from the city of Talcahuano in Chile before an earthquake of 1835. Flocks of birds flew inland before the Chilean earthquakes of 1822 and 1835.

However, any scientific explanation at present does not appear to be acceptable unless the phenomenon is observed almost universally. Charles Richter once said, “Only fools, charlatans, and liars predict earthquakes.”

Tattooed Mars.

This high-resolution picture from the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows twisting dark trails criss-crossing light-colored terrain on the Martian surface. Newly formed trails like these had presented researchers with a tantalizing mystery but are now known to be the work of miniature wind vortices known to occur on the red planet, in other words Martian dust devils. Such spinning columns of rising air heated by the warm surface are also common in dry and desert areas on planet Earth. Typically lasting only a few minutes, dust devils become visible as they pick up loose red-colored dust leaving the darker and heavier sand beneath intact. Ironically, dust devils have been credited with unexpectedly cleaning the solar panels of the Mars rovers.

Image Credit: NASA, HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona)

झारखण्ड में ध्वस्त होते पर्वत.

अन्गारा का ध्वस्त पहाढ़ एक भुवेज्ञानिक घटना - और भी पहाढ़ हो सकते हैं ध्वस्त ।

डॉ। नितीश प्रियदर्शी

६ अक्टूबर की रात रांची के पास अन्गारा के एक गाँव में २५० फीट ऊँचा पहाढ़ अचानक तेज आवाज के साथ ध्वस्त हो गया। वेसे तो पहाढ़ धसने की घटना विश्व मैं कई जगह होती है जैसे २४ अगस्त को बांग्लादेश के चटगांव में एक ऊँचा पहाढ़ ध्वस्त हो गया। एक हफ्ता पहले बांग्लादेश में ही तन्किर पहाढ़ के ध्वस्त हो जाने से ११ लोग की मृत्यु हो गई । उसी तरह ३ अक्टूबर को अमेरिका के कैलिफोर्निया शहर के पास एक काफी ऊँचा पहाढ़ ध्वस्त हो गया जिसके चलते कई मकानों को नुकसान पहुँचा।

अन्गारा एवं दुसरे जगहों में पवर्तों के ध्वस्त होने के कारणों में असामनता हैं। जहाँ बांग्लादेश में पहाढ़ ध्वस्त होने के पहले भूकंप आया था तथा कैलिफोर्निया में कुछ दिन पहले से पत्थर पर्वत से नीचे आ रहे थे वहीँ अन्गारा में ये सब कारण नदारद थे। यहाँ पहाढ़ अचानक रातों रात ध्वस्त हो गया बिना किसी भूकंप अथवा किसी अन्य भूगर्भीय हलचल के। वेसे विश्व में जहाँ जहाँ ज्वालामुखी विस्फोट होता है वहां पर इस तरह की पहाढ़ गिरने की घटना होती है। लेकिन अन्गारा में पहाढ़ ध्वस्त होने का कारण कुछ और ही लगता है।

रांची के आस पास की बहुत से छोटे एवं मध्यम ऊंचाई के पहाढ़ काफी वृद्ध हो चुके हें तथा वे काफी अपरदित हो चुकें हैं जैसे रांची पहाढ़ , पिठोरिया के पास की कुछ पहाढ़ इत्यादि। यानि ये सब अपरदन के चक्र के अन्तिम चरण में पहुँच चुके हें। पिछले वर्ष रांची पहाढ़ का कुछ हिस्सा भी धंसा था जिससे वहां के लोगों में डर व्याप्त हो गया था।

अन्गारा के पहाढ़ के अचानक ध्वस्त होने का एक ही कारण नजर आता है वह है काफी ज्यादा अपरदन के फलस्वरूप तथा पृथ्वी के गुरुत्वाकर्षण के प्रभाव में पहाढ़ ध्वस्त हो गया। इस को भूविज्ञान की भाषा में "मास वेस्टिंग" कहतें हें जहाँ पहाढ़ पर उपस्थित किसी खास कमजोर स्थान से अचानक मिटटी एवं बोल्डर गुरुत्वाकर्षण के प्रभाव में तेजी से नीचे आवाज करता हुआ घिसकने लगता हें। अन्गारा में जहाँ पर यह धसान हुआ वहां पर कई वृक्ष भी मलबे के अन्दर दब गए।

झारखण्ड में प्रकृति ने अपना संदेश दे दिया है। जरुरत इस बात की है की रांची के आस पास वेसे पहाढ़ की पहचान की जाए जो काफी अपरदित हो चुके हें या जिनके बहुत से भाग मिटटी में परिवर्तित हो चुके हों, एवं उनमे मौजूद चट्टान खतरनाक स्तिथि में टिके हों । ये भी जरुरी है की अपरदित पहाढ़ के आस पास जो आबादी हो उनको इस खतरे से आगाह किया जाए ।

Earthquake hits today Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.

Hindu Kush Mountain

A strong Earthquake rattled northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and India Friday, killing five people and injuring several more.
The quake had a magnitude of 6.2 to 6.4 on the Richter scale, and its epicentre was in the high-altitude Hindu Kush at a depth of about 180 kilometres, Pakistani authorities said.
Pakistani broadcaster Geo News reported that frightened people were seen running into the streets of major cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore.
At least five people died and several were injured in different areas of Pakistan's remote, mountainous, northern parts.
The earthquake triggered a landslide in the Mirpur region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and demolished a house and killed three people. Three more were injured.

The temblor also hit the Indian part of Kashmir, causing panic but no casualties or damage.
Residents of the border town of Uri in Baramulla, 80 kilometres west of state capital Srinagar, rushed out of their homes and did not return for a couple of hours out of fear of aftershocks.
Geologists say Kashmir is located in a zone of high seismic activity.Srinagar falls in Seismic Zone-V and other parts of Indian Kashmir in Seismic Zone IV.A high intensity quake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale with its epicenter in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir shook the region on Oct 8, 2005, causing large scale destruction killing 80,000 people.

It was not only in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India but The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting that three earthquakes struck Thursday night near The Geysers in Sonoma County.
According to the USGS, the first earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.1 struck around 8:55 p.m., and at a depth just under one mile. The quake was centered three miles northeast of The Geysers and 14 miles east of Cloverdale, according to the USGS.
The second earthquake, a 3.2 - magnitude, struck at around 11:45 p.m. and at a depth of 1.9 miles, according to the USGS. The quake was centered three miles east of The Geysers and 14 miles east of Cloverdale, according to the USGS.
The third earthquake, a 2.2 - magnitude event, struck at around 11:50 p.m., according to the USGS. The quake was centered two miles northeast of The Geysers and 13 miles east of Cloverdale, according to the USGS.
Reference:
http://cbs5.com/localwire/22.0.html?type=bcn&item=THREE-QUAKES-00-38
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1508825.php/Earthquake-hits-northern-Pakistan-Afghanistan-India-Roundup
http://cannazine.co.uk/images/stories/afghanistan-images/hindu-kush-mountains.jpg

Statues of 1st Century AD found uncared in paddy fields.

There are many historical spots like this in Jharkhand State of India.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

These statues belong to Sun god, Lord Ganesh and Shiv Linga and were found uncared in open paddy fields near Pithoria some 30 kms away from Ranchi the capital of Jharkhand State of India. According to historians these statues belong to 1^st century AD. Villagers regularly perform prayers and this is the only cause that still today these statues are not stolen. Few parts of the statues are broken. This is not the only spot which is uncared; there are lots of historical spots in Jharkhand State which needs immediate attention by the State Government.

250 feet high hill collapsed overnight near Ranchi city of India.

Most of the hills in Jharkhand State are highly weathered.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Fig. Villagers praying the mountain under fear.,

On 8^th October in local news paper one news baffled me. The news stated that a 250 feet high hill vanished in thin air overnight. The incident happened some 50kms away from the Ranchi city, the capital of Jharkhand State of India. Being a geologist I have never heard about such phenomenon of vanishing hills suddenly in recent years or in past especially in Jharkhand State which is free from major earthquakes and Volcanism. Volcanism promotes such types of subsidence. The crumbling of a section of the huge ‘Jumbla’ Mountain Range in the Angara Circle of Ranchi district has posed a question mark on vanishing of 250 feet High Mountain. But the incident has occurred, so I decided to collect the information from different sources and media persons who visited the area.

The on-the-spot survey by some of the electronic media person revealed that the mountain section in question had not vanished but definitely caved in.

According to the reports reaching to me, the debris of the said section of the huge mountain range, in form of huge boulders and scattered pieces of rocks in a vicinity of nearly a kilometer from the peak were strewn. The sleepy village of Rasujara had a night-marish night on the 6^th of October when the entire village heard the hair raising thunders of rocks rumbling with heavy drizzle orchestrating it.

In the worst of their dreams they did not anticipate the scenario of the next morning. The very mountain which acted as their savoir had ‘vanished’ with scattered debris in its place! The small village of Rasujara with a population of less than 200 people was in a state of panic, thinking that the celestial forces were ‘angry’.

But before moving into any conclusion we should understand the rock types and geology of such hills in and around Ranchi district.

Most of the hills in the area has attained old age and are highly weathered. These hills are one of the oldest part of the earth’s crust. All the slopes below the top consists of soil, sediments and rock fragments. Occasionally there are few rock exposures.

Collapse of the hill may be due to weathering aided by mass-wasting forming ‘talus slopes’.

Mass wasting, also known as slope movement or mass movement, is the geomorphic process by which soil, regolith, and rock move downslope under the force of gravity. Types of mass wasting include creep, slides, flows, topples, and falls, each with its own characteristic features, and taking place over timescales from seconds to years.

Mass wasting may occur at a very slow rate, particularly in areas that are very dry or those areas that receive sufficient rainfall such that vegetation has stabilised the surface. It may also occur at very high speed, such as in rock slides or landslides, with disastrous consequences, both immediate and delayed.

The predominant processes that degrade a rock slope depend largely on the regional climate (temperature, amount of rainfall, etc.) and also through Thermal stresses and Topographic stresses.

From first instance it looks that the hill became the culprit of Debris avalanches. Debris Avalanches are very high velocity flows of large volume mixtures of rock and regolith that result from complete collapse of a mountainous slope. They move down slope and then can travel for considerable distances along relatively gentle slopes.

Other theory which can be implemented here that hill may have collapsed due to underground mine fire in the nearby coalfields of Ramgarh and Gola areas. Underground hollow created by mine fire may have put stressed on the highly weathered hill.

What ever may be the cause but it is true that more incidence like this may happen in future especially in Ranchi city where one of the hill, popularly known as Ranchi Hill, has already threatened the local people last year as part of it was affected with landslides.

Some of the other hills are also affected as they are in regular threat by explosives used by the miners for making stone chips for building purposes.

Oxygen content in Ladakh up 50%: Scientists

Anyone visiting Ladakh in India for the first time can be left gasping for breath due to low oxygen levels in the high altitude region. But a successful plantation drive has brought about environmental changes - driving up oxygen content by 50 percent and, most unusually, making it rain, say Indian scientists.

Ladakh is located between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the Himalayas in the south at a height of nearly 12,000 feet and has a rarefied atmosphere. But scientists of the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), which is behind the plantation drive, have found a marked increase in oxygen content.

The mountain ranges in this region were formed over a period of 45 million years by the folding of the Indian plate into the more stationary Eurasian Plate. The drift continues, causing frequent earthquakes in the Himalayan region. The peaks in the Ladakh range are at a medium altitude close to the Zoji-la (5,000–5,500 m or 16,000–18,050 ft), and increase towards south-east, reaching a climax in the twin summits of Nun-Kun (7000 m or 23,000 ft).

Ladakh is a high altitude desert as the Himalayas create a rain shadow, denying entry to monsoon clouds. The main source of water is the winter snowfall on the mountains.
Most of the Ladakh region is a cold desert with nearly no vegetation. The oxygen content is much lower than that in the plains.
Fore more information follow the link below.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/pollution/Oxygen-content-in-Ladakh-up-50-Scientists/articleshow/5111633.cms

Mushroom in my college campus.

Beautiful gift from the nature

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Yesterday I went to my college which opened after 15 days of festival holiday. After parking my scooter in the backyard of the college I saw some white things grown on the filed in few places in between the grass. When I reached near the white thing it was white mushroom. As the college was closed for fifteen days there was no movement on the field which helped the mushrooms to grow. One mushroom was of the size of golf ball. I took the photographs because I knew that these mushrooms are going to be destroyed as the college was reopened after the holidays.

We all know the many species of mushrooms seemingly appear overnight, growing or expanding rapidly. This phenomenon is the source of several common expressions in the English language including "to mushroom" or "mushrooming" (expanding rapidly in size or scope) and "to pop up like a mushroom" (to appear unexpectedly and quickly). In actuality all species of mushrooms take several days to form primordial mushroom fruit bodies, though they do expand rapidly by the absorption of fluids.

To know more about mushrooms I visited many blogs and web sites to gather information regarding its nutritional values. To my astonishment it is very rich in minerals. I am not sure about the nutritional values of mushroom grown in my college campus as I assume that it is wild. From my childhood I have heard that most of the wild mushrooms are toxic.

Mushrooms are the only natural fresh vegetable or fruit with vitamin D. Preliminary research suggests that the ultraviolet light found in sunlight may boost levels of vitamin D in mushrooms. The natural process of “enriching” mushrooms by briefly exposing mushrooms grown in the dark to light for 5 minutes may boost existing vitamin D levels.

Minerals in Mushrooms.

The focus on the nutritional value of brightly colored fruits and vegetables has unintentionally left mushrooms in the dark. Mushrooms provide a similar number of nutrients as brightly colored fruits and vegetables.

Selenium is a mineral that works as an antioxidant to protect body cells from damage that might lead to heart disease, some cancers and other diseases of aging. It also has been found to be important for the immune system and fertility in men. Many foods of animal origin and grains are good sources of selenium, but mushrooms are among the richest sources of selenium in the produce aisle and provide 8-22 mcg per serving1. This is good news for vegetarians, whose sources of selenium are limited.

Ergothioneine is a naturally occurring antioxidant that also may help protect the body’s cells. Mushrooms provide 2.8-4.9 mg of ergothioneine per serving of white, Portabella or crimini mushrooms.

Copper helps make red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Copper also helps keep bones and nerves healthy.

Potassium is an important mineral many people do not get enough of. It aids in the maintenance of normal fluid and mineral balance, which helps control blood pressure. It also plays a role in making sure nerves and muscles, including the heart, function properly. Mushrooms have 267- 407 mg of potassium per serving, which is 9 percent of the Daily Value.

NASA Spacecraft Impacts Lunar Crater in Search for Water Ice.

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, created twin impacts on the moon's surface early Friday in a search for water ice. Scientists will analyze data from the spacecraft's instruments to assess whether water ice is present. The satellite traveled 5.6 million miles during an historic 113-day mission that ended in the Cabeus crater, a permanently shadowed region near the moon's south pole. The spacecraft was launched June 18 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "The LCROSS science instruments worked exceedingly well and returned a wealth of data that will greatly improve our understanding of our closest celestial neighbor," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator and project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "The team is excited to dive into data." In preparation for impact, LCROSS and its spent Centaur upper stage rocket separated about 54,000 miles above the surface of the moon on Thursday at approximately 6:50 p.m. PDT. Moving at a speed of more than 1.5 miles per second, the Centaur hit the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. Oct. 9, creating an impact that instruments aboard LCROSS observed for approximately four minutes. LCROSS then impacted the surface at approximately 4:36 a.m. "This is a great day for science and exploration," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The LCROSS data should prove to be an impressive addition to the tremendous leaps in knowledge about the moon that have been achieved in recent weeks. I want to congratulate the LCROSS team for their tremendous achievement in development of this low cost spacecraft and for their perseverance through a number of difficult technical and operational challenges."‪ Other observatories reported capturing both impacts. The data will be shared with the LCROSS science team for analysis. The LCROSS team expects it to take several weeks of analysis before it can make a definitive assessment of the presence or absence of water ice. "I am very proud of the success of this LCROSS mission team," said Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager at Ames. "Whenever this team would hit a roadblock, it conceived a clever work-around allowing us to push forward with a successful mission." The images and video collected by the amateur astronomer community and the public also will be used to enhance our knowledge about the moon. "One of the early goals of the mission was to get as many people to look at the LCROSS impacts in as many ways possible, and we succeeded," said Jennifer Heldmann, Ames' coordinator of the LCROSS observation campaign. "The amount of corroborated information that can be pulled out of this one event is fascinating." "It has been an incredible journey since LCROSS was selected in April 2006," said Andrews. "The LCROSS Project faced a very ambitious schedule and an uncommonly small budget for a mission of this size. LCROSS could be a model for how small robotic missions are executed. This is truly big science on a small budget."

REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS FOR WATER RESOURCES.

WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO JHARKHAND STATE, INDIA.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Abstract:
Whether for irrigation, power generation, drinking, manufacturing, or recreation, water is one of our most critical resources. Visual Image interpretation can be used in a variety of ways to help monitor the quality, quantity, and geographic distribution of this resource and also deciphering ground water with help from aerial photograph.


Sediment pollution is often clearly depicted on aerial and space images. Materials that form films on the water surface, such as oil films, can also be detected through the use of aerial and satellite images. Normal colours or ultraviolet aerial photography is often employed for the detection of oil films on water.


Thick oil slicks have a distinct brown or black colour. Thinner oil sheens and oil rainbows have a characteristic silvery sheen or iridescent colour banding but do not have a distinct brown or black colour.


Jharkhand State now a days is affected with ground water scarcity forcing the people to depend on the surface water like lakes, rivers etc. which are polluted like Damodar river and Suwarnrekha river. Damodar river flowing through coal fields is affected with sediment pollution carrying coal mining wastes leading to lowering of water level from November to June.
In this paper, we are concerned principally with the use of visual image interpretation in water pollution detection, and deciphering of groundwater with special reference to Jharkhand State of India.

Introduction:


Water pollution is any physical or chemical change in water that can adversely affect organisms. It is a global problem, affecting both the industrialized and the developing nations. It is harmful to humans, animals, to desire able aquatic life or otherwise causes significant departures from the normal activities of various living communities in or near the bodies of the water.
All naturally occurring water contains some impurities. Water is considered polluted when the presence of impurities is sufficient to limit its use for a given domestic and /or industrial purpose. Not all pollutants are the result of human activity. Natural sources of pollution include such things as minerals leached from soil and decaying vegetation. When dealing with water pollution, it is appropriate to consider two types of sources: point and non point. Point sources are highly localized, such as industrial outfalls. Non-point sources, such as fertilizer and sediment runoff from agricultural fields, mining wastes, have large and dispersed source areas.


It is rarely possible to make a positive identification of the type and concentration of a pollutant by visual image interpretation alone ( Lillesand and Kiefer,2000). However, it is possible to use visual image interpretation to identify the point at which a discharge reaches a body of water and to determine the general dispersion characteristics of its plume. In some instances, such a s the case of sediment suspended in water, it is possible to make valid observations about sediment concentrations using quantitative radiometry coupled with the laboratory analysis of selective water samples. Sediment pollution is often clearly depicted on aerial and space images.


According to Verner (1977) the detection of pollutants in water is more complex because the light attenuation characteristics of water limit detection of below-surface pollutants to the visible and near-visible portions of the spectrum. Even for surface pollutants, detection is often difficult, because the characteristic scattering or reflection of sunlight by pollutants is a function of the state of surface roughness as well as the angle of incident and reflected sunlight. Also, many dissolved chemicals have no spectral signature detectable through remote analysis. On the other hand, there are classes of pollutants that may be detected when water surface conditions and sun angle permit. These are particulates, algae, petroleum products, and thermal anomalies.
Materials that form films on the water surface, such as oil films, can also be detected through the use of aerial and satellite images. Oil enters the world’s water bodies from a variety of sources including natural seeps, municipal and industrial waste discharges, urban runoff, and refinery and shipping losses and accidents. Thick oil slicks have a distinct brown and black colour. Thinner oil sheens and oil rainbows have a characteristic silvery sheen or iridescent colour banding but do not have a distinct brown and black colour (Lillesand and Kiefer,2000).


Direct human interventions over the years have lead to reduction in groundwater recharge. These include deforestation, destruction of local water systems (including traditional water systems, e.g. ponds, tanks, lakes, wetlands and so on). Deforestation also leads to change in river flow regime in the affected area that also affects the recharge in the given area.


There are larger and indirect human interventions that has also affected the groundwater recharge systems, including urbanization, concretization of more and more land, the those factors that lead to global warming also contribute in reduction in groundwater levels as evapo-transpiration needs are higher when temperatures go up, leading to more groundwater use.
Mining also leads to destruction of groundwater recharge systems in the mined areas. In fact mining areas (like Jharkhand) groundwater is many times unnecessarily pumped out to the near by rivers so that mining becomes possible.


A knowledge of groundwater location is important for both water supply and pollution control analysis. Groundwater is one of the most important source of water. Almost 85% of the rural water supply in India is dependent on groundwater (Ministry of rural Development, government of India). Remote sensing plays a vital role in delineating potential areas of groundwater occurrence for detailed exploration, thus reducing the cost and time involved in groundwater exploration. Potential groundwater areas cannot be seen on satellite images directly. The clue to the groundwater search is the fact that sub-surface geological elements forming aquifers have almost invariable surface expressions, which can be detected by remote sensing techniques (Joseph,2005). Satellite data provide information about geomorphic features, structures, land uses and rock types (in a few cases) indicating the presence of groundwater. Some selected landforms and structural features that are indicators for potential groundwater zones are valley fills, palaeochannels, alluvial fans, dykes, interdunal depression etc.


Case study of Jharkhand State:


Jharkhand meaning “forest tract” is the ancient name given, as a whole, to the forested upland geographically known as the Chotanagpur plateau forming the north-eastern portion of the peninsular plateau of India. It is a region of great unevenness consisting of a succession of plateaus, hills and valleys drained by several large rivers such as the Damodar, Subernarekha, Barakar etc.


On the basis of physiographic consideration, this plateau can be further sub-divided into the Ranchi and Hazaribag plateau.


The Chotanagpur plateau as a whole represents a denuded old land surface constituted of granitic rocks with associated metamorphic and basic igneous rocks as also two linear stretches of Gondwana rocks having coal basins running east-west in Hazaribag, Palamau and Dhanbad districts and north-south in Santhal Parganas districts, demarcated by faults on either sides.
The plateau has a number of drainages flowing almost in all directions. The northerly flowing rivers are the Son, North Koel, Punpun, Phalgu etc. Amongst the easterly flowing rivers, the Ajoy, Barakar, Damodar and Subernarekha are by far the most important ones. The southerly flowing rivers are the Sankh, south Koel etc. ( Central Ground Water Board Report 1976-1985).
A major part of the Jharkhand State are covered by yellow to reddish and medium light coloured catenary soils (Mahadevan, 2002). In the Netharhat Plateau of Palamau districts and the Rajmahal Plateau, soils derived from basaltic flows are black and heavy and develop wide cracks when dry and swell when wet.


Deciphering surface water pollution from Aerial photographs:-


Large scale mining operations and rapid urbanisation has adversely affected the surface water quality in Jharkhand State. Liquid effluents from coal handling plants, colliery workshops, and mine sites and suspended solids from coal washeries and mine wastes have caused serious water pollution in the region, adversely affecting fish and aquatic life. Damodar and Subernarekha valley are the cradle of industrialization in Chotanagpur plateau region. Damodar is the most polluted amongst Indian rivers. About 130 million litre of industrial effluents and 65 million litre of untreated domestic water finds way to Damodar drainage system every day.
The release of different toxic metals like arsenic, mercury, chromium, nickel etc. from the coals and mine spoil heaps in Damodar and its tributaries have caused severe damage to water quality ( Priyadarshi 2004 ,Priyadarshi 1999).



Sediment pollution is a tedious problem in major rivers of the Jharkhand. Sediments make the rivers, streams, channels and reservoirs to overflow. They also change the flow rates and depth of water systems( Sharma and Kaur, 1994). Sediment pollution is clearly depicted in Damodar river in above figures. In both figures silt laden Damodar river is seen passing through Coal fields of Jharkhand State. It has not only narrowed the river bed and flow but also posing threat to the existence of the river. Source of the sediments in this river are soils and remains of coal mine wastes deposited along the river sides which are washed away from the land by rain waters and surface runoff. These sediments may be the carrier of different trace elements like arsenic (already present), lead, nickel, chromium etc. as the coals of these areas contain above mention elements (Priyadarshi,2004; Geological Survey of India,1982). It may affect fish population by blanketing fish nests and food supplies. It may also reduce the sunlight available to green aquatic plants.

In above figures the water bodies are seen in dark black tone irrespective of the turbidity levels of the water. In both figures above image shows water bodies in different shades ranging from dark black to different hues of blue which represent various levels of turbidity, bottom reflection and depth of the water body.

Pond in above figure is situated near by Patratu Thermal Power Station 45 km north of Ranchi city (smoke coming out from the chimney is seen). Fly ash coming out from this thermal power station finally settles down in the surrounding areas including the pond. So special care should be taken to monitor the water quality of this pond.

Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases in the primary productivity of the ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia and severe reductions in water quality, fish, and other animal populations may occur.

Eutrophication is frequently a result of nutrient pollution, such as the release of sewage effluent, urban stormwater run-off, and run-off carrying excess fertilizers into natural waters.
Phosphorus is often regarded as the main culprit in cases of eutrophication in lakes subjected to point source pollution from sewage. The concentration of algae and the trophic state of lakes correspond well to phosphorus levels in water.

Ranchi Lake

Most of the lakes and ponds of the Jharkhand Sate are affected with Eutrophication as shown in above pictures of Google Earth.

Deciphering groundwater in Jharkhand:
State is occupied by hard rocks belonging mostly to Archaeans and Palaeo-Mesozoics (including Gondwanas), and these hard rocks bear groundwater only in their weathered top portion which rarely exceeds 10 metres. Joints and cracks in hard rocks also contain groundwater (Geological Survey of India, 1974).

The indiscriminate withdrawal of water from groundwater aquifers of limited potential to meet the growing demand has put acute pressure on the ground water aquifers in the Jharkhand including Ranchi city. Erratic and poor rainfall coupled with negligible attempts to recharge or replenish the groundwater aquifer has created an alarming situation. In many aquifers, either the water level has gone down or the aquifers have completely dried up. Even the surface water reservoirs has dried up due to lack of proper maintanence.

Identifying new groundwater sites, optimal water management through harvesting the available rainfall and recharging the underground aquifer appear to be the only solution to the above problems. During water harvesting, water can be stored in surface reservoirs or in underground aquifers. Location of potential sites and zones for this purpose is of utmost significance. Sometimes indicators for suitable sites for water harvesting can be identified directly on the satellite data.

Surface water forms a part of the hydrosphere which is linked without discontinuity to the groundwater and on this basis it is viewed as a direct hydrogeological index. Rivers, rivulets, lakes and temporary streams belong to this category. These are the features which are associated with recharge zones and it can be easily applied in Jharkhand State where there are rivulets, lakes, rivers and dams in sufficient amount.

The photographic image of rivulets is analogous to that of rivers and differs only in being of smaller size. The rivulets show the presence of outlets of groundwater upstream (Nefedov and Popova,1972; ).

So the rivulets shown in above figure may be taken into consideration for tapping and recharging groundwater.

Groundwater is also linked with lake water, which is direct positive indicator (Nefedov and Popova,1972). In aerial photographs, fresh water lakes are deciphered from the uniform tone of the reflecting water surface. Photos of the lakes shown in this article may be taken into consideration for deciphering groundwater.

Most of the abundant open coal mines serves as the good reservoir. In above figure small water reservoir is seen in abundant coal mines of North Karanpura Coalfield of Jharkhand. These reservoir can serve as a good recharge area for depleting groundwater. Water can be trapped in these abundant mines.

To facilitate recharge if a check dam is constructed across a rivulet on different intervals or stream flowing or at the meeting point of two rivers (as shown in above figure) will allow sufficient water to percolate to cause effective recharge to the groundwater aquifer.

Geological structures like synclinal folds, faults, unconformities, tilted strata and dykes help to locate possible aquifers (Pandey,2001). Some times they provide good opportunities for groundwater occurrence when the remaining lithological conditions are satisfied.

Conclusion:
Sediment pollution is clearly depicted in the Damodar river flowing through the coalfield area. The aerial photographs helped us to identify potential areas of groundwater where detailed geophysical surveys can be carried to confirm availability of water. It has also helped in concentrating the field in selected areas where greater potential of groundwater may exist. It has also helped us to identify the sites where the check dams can be built to recharge the groundwater.

References:
· Central Ground Water Board Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India (1976-1985). Monitoring of ground water from hydrogeological and chemical data of national hydrograph network stations in Bihar. Series “D”, No.8 Calcutta.
· Geological Survey of India (1974). Geology and mineral resources of states of India, part V-Bihar, No.30.
· Geological Survey of India Bulletins (1982). Trace elements studies in the major tertiary and gondwana coalfields of India, no.49 pp.66.
· Joseph, G. (2005). Fundamentals of Remote Sensing (2nd ed.). University Press, Hyderabad.
· Lillesand,T.M. and Kiefer, R.W. (2000). Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York.
· Nefedov, K.E. and Popova, T.A. (1972). Deciphering of Groundwater from Aerial photographs. Amerind Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.
· Pandey, S.N. (2001). Principles and applications of photogeology. New Age International Publishers.
· Priyadarshi, N. (1999). Trace metal concentration in Damodar river of Bachra area of North Karanpura Bihar. In book “Environmental crisis and protective measures with special reference to the Chotanagpur region of Bihar”, edited by Sahay,U. and Bhagat, L.N. Jawaharlal Nehru College, Chakradharpur, Jharkhand, pp.49-55.
· Priyadarshi, N. (2004). Distribution of arsenic in Permian coals of North Karanpura coalfield, Jharkhand. Jr. Geol. Soc. India, vol.63, pp. 533-536.
· Sharma,B.K. and Kaur, H. (1994). Water pollution. Goel publishing house, Meerut.

The Heart of Darkness.

Some of the coldest and darkest dust in space shines brightly in this infrared image from the Herschel Observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important participation from NASA. The image is a composite of light captured simultaneously by two of Herschel's three instruments -- the photodetector array camera and spectrometer with its spectral and photometric imaging receiver.The image reveals a cold and turbulent region where material is just beginning to condense into new stars. It is located in the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, 60 degrees from the center. Blue shows warmer material, red the coolest, while green represents intermediate temperatures. The red filaments are made up of the coldest material pictured here -- material that is slightly warmer than the coldest temperature theoretically attainable in the universe.

Image Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech

Dinosaur eggs found in India.

Hundreds of dino eggs found in Tamil Nadu.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Photo credit National Geographic

Hundreds of fossilized dinosaur eggs have been found underneath a river stream at a tiny hamlet in the Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu in India. Geologists believe that the eggs are at least 65 million years old. According to the researchers these eggs belongs to the most aggressive Carnosaur and the docile, leaf eating Sauropod at Sendurari village.

Carnosaurs were large predatory dinosaurs and Sauropods were long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs and were notable for the enormous sizes they could grow up to.

The geological sites of Ariyalur are known to be a treasure trove of dinosaur remains, but it is the first time that hundreds of nests embedded with hundreds of clusters of dinosaur eggs have been unearthed in the district.

The work was carried out by the researchers of Periyar University.

Ever since a British couple Mrs. and Mr. Wine collected 32 boxes of “strange stone” objects in 1843, the Ariyalur region has drawn geologists from across the world for its rich fossil presence and diversity.

According to the researchers, eggs may not have hatched due to the Deccan volcanic eruptions or the seasonal flooding. “We suspect the extinction of dinosaurs were triggered by the Deccan volcano as the red bole bed formed by the volcanic ashes cap the eggs,” say the researchers.

It is estimated that originally the Deccan flows may have covered an area in excess of 2 million sq km with a total volume of 2 million cubic km. Deccan volcanism may have released into the atmosphere gases which had been locked up in the bosom of the earth. Thus huge quantities of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and other similar gases may have been injected into the atmosphere. These gases could combine with steam from the volcanoes, resulting into the lethal mixture known as ‘acid rain’.

Scientists now believe that the Deccan volcanics may not have been directly responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs and other organisms, but they must have had a slow but sure influence on deterioration of the ecosystem over a 2 to 3 million-year period, leading to the disruption of the food-web. Atmospheric pollution would have been further aggravated by the fact that the volcanic ash would have been injected into the atmosphere, leading to the formation of a dark cloud, blocking sunlight.

The volcanic activity of the Deccan between 68 and 65 million years ago was one of the most stupendous eruptions that the Earth has witnessed. It was second only to the Permian-Triassic volcanic eruptions of Siberia when again over 80 percent of the land and sea animals perished dramatically in a short period of time.

Evidence of dinosaurs in India.

Finding dinosaur bones, or dinosaur eggs for that matter, in India is not a difficult task, but one must know where to look. The record of dinosaurs in India spreads from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (i.e. from about 225 to 65 million years ago), but the most common finds are in the Jurassic and the Cretaceous.
In order to help the young collector find the localities where dinosaurs remains can be located, India has been divided into the following geographic sectors:
1.Western sector comprising the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
2.Central sector comprising the states of MP and Maharashtra.
3.Southern states comprising the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Several important localities are known to exist in the western sector, including the Dinosaur fossil park established by the geological survey of India in 1983 in the village of Rahioli Kheda district, about 80 kms from Ahmedabad. The park has several eggs and nests and large bones of dinosaurs which can be seen still embedded in the rock.

The oldest and the best known locality of the central region is, of course, the Bara Simla Hill in the Cantonment area of Jabalpur from where the first reports of dinosaur bones were made by William Sleeman. Other sites in the region are related mainly to dinosaur eggs and nests. These include several sites near the town of Dohad, and the region between Jobat and Bagh.

The best studied dinosaurs come from the Southern sector is the Pranhita-Godavari valley running north westwards and south eastwards.
Near the village of Maleri in the Godavari basin, fossils of some of the earliest dinosaurs (Triassic) known to science have been reported.

Recently some people have claimed to identify the foot prints of Dinosaurs in coalfield area of North Karanpura area some 50 kms from Ranchi in Jharkhand State of India. But the findings still wait for the scientific approval.

India has a special place in the studies of dinosaur eggs. The largest Cretaceous nesting sites for dinosaurs anywhere in the world lies in Central India, extending from Kutch in the west to Nagpur in the east, and then further southwards to Adilabad district, north of Hyderabad.