Varkala cliff:
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a reply from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and others over the deteriorating condition of Varkala cliff, a designated national geo-heritage site.
- It is a beautiful natural formation located in Varkala, a coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.
- The cliff, including both northern and southern ones, covering a total distance of 3 km, exposes the sedimentary rock formation of the Mio-pliocene Age.
- Varkala is the only place on the West Coast of India where sediments in the Mio-Pliocene age (13 lakh to 2.5 crore years ago) had been exposed.
- The Papanasam Beach, located at the base of the cliff, is revered for its natural springs and believed to have therapeutic properties.
- It is a crucial aquifer and natural water harvesting system for coastal communities, hosted unique biodiversity in its microhabitat, and supported underwater reefs essential for local fishing communities.
- It is the 27th National Geological Monument in the country and the second in the State after the Angadipuram Laterite.
