An Appraisal of Geoheritage Potential: From The Delhi-Aravalli Fold- and The Himalayan Fold-Thrust Belts to the Coastal Plains of India

The concept of “geoheritage” that has emerged as a new discipline over the last few years has advocated for the preservation of geological features, such as landforms, towards a cultural perspective. It aims for the conservation of geological entities referred to as “geosites”, that are significant from geoscience education point of view, as well as for the development of local “geotourism”. In this paper, five potential geosites located across India have been identified. The “geosites” identified are located in the states of Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. These five geosites are located in five different geological terrains, and the idea of proposing these geosites is that they are uniquely significant from geological, geomorphological as well as cultural perspective. These geosites are significant for geoscience education, and have scope for the development of “geotourism”. Hence, these geological entities need to be conserved for the forthcoming generations of geoscientists, researchers, students and science enthusiasts, in addition to growth and development of the local tourism.