The declaration of Guryal Ravine at Khanmoh area on Srinagar outskirts as Geological National Geoheritage site by Geological Survey of India has brought cheers to people especially nature lovers in Kashmir.

The Guryal Ravine is not just a mountain but a treasure trove, a repository of Kashmir’s rich history. The ravine which is part of the Permian-Triassic Boundary section possesses sedimentary succession of about 252 million years ago. It is believed that during this period a severe mass extinction wiped out most of life on Earth including 90% of sea creatures and 70% of land life. This transition is known as the “Great Dying” or Late Permian Mass Extinction (LPME). As per geologists, this is recorded in ancient rocks of Guryul ravine with abundant fossils, marking the transition from the Paleozoic to Mesozoic Era, with minimal life in the early Triassic age at the Permian-Triassic Boundary.

As per GSI, the Guryul Ravine Geological section represents one of the only few known complete Permian Triassic Boundary sections in the world. It hosts multiple mega fossil horizons of Bryozoa, Brachiopoda, Bivalve, Gastropoda, Ammonoids and conodonts which are important for understanding the greatest biological revolution and past climate changes of earth, with each rock layer here telling a story worth preserving.

The historical significance of Guryul Ravine dates back nearly two centuries. In 1837–38, it was studied by the British geologist H. Falconer in 1837 and Murchison in 1842 followed by several other renowned European geoscientists. The........

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