Before SC call for 'experts', a panel sought more studies for method to define Aravallis, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• A technical sub-committee (TSC), formed by the Centre, deliberated on defining the Aravalli hills between June and October 2024.
• The TSC recommended further studies to find a reliable method for defining the Aravalli hills.
• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) proposed identifying the Aravalli Hills based on geological characteristics, slope, and height.
• The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered a re-examination of the definition of Aravallis by domain experts.
• A ministry-led panel recommended defining Aravalli Hills as any landform at an elevation of 100 meters or more above local relief.

Detailed Insights:

• The technical sub-committee (TSC) included officials from the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Geological Survey of India (GSI), and Survey of India (SoI).
• The FSI presented its work delineating Aravallis based on the 3-degree-slope formula in 15 districts of Rajasthan in 2010-11.
• The GSI proposed to identify the Aravalli Hills as “Proterozoic fold belt...forming a linear series of alternate hills and valley” with a slope of 8% (4.57 degree) and a height of at least 30 metres.
• The TSC reported that all tested methods produced various proportions of false positives and false negatives and applying a strict slope and height criteria uniformly may not be practical.
• The Haryana government argued for incorporating an age-based geological criterion in addition to the elevation criterion of 100 metres from local relief, but the Centre-led panel did not agree to this.
• The SC has directed a high-powered committee of domain experts to examine areas excluded from protection under the new definition of Aravallis.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Aravalli Hills: A mountain range in Northwestern India, one of the oldest fold mountains in the world.
• Proterozoic fold belt: A geological formation characterized by folded rock layers dating back to the Proterozoic Eon.
• Domain experts: Individuals with specialized knowledge and expertise in a particular field or area.