Srinagar, Sep 4: Deep in the hills around Khonmoh, on the outskirts of Srinagar, lies a geological record that takes scientists back about 252 million years — to a time when Earth experienced the most severe mass extinction in its history.
Known as Guryul Ravine, the site was formally recognised by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2025 as a National Geoheritage Site.
Yet, despite the recognition, the formal notification by the J&K government and effective protection measures are still awaited.
The issue has gained fresh attention after the GSI, in a written response to a grievance seeking scientific assessment, conservation and exploration of the Guryul-Khunmoh-Mandekpal fossil landscape, said it had already taken several steps but was awaiting action from the J&K government.
“Considering the immense geological and palaeontological significance of the Guryul Ravine, Geological Survey of India (GSI), vide resolution dated October 16, 2025, has declared this as a Geoheritage Site of National importance,” the GSI said.
The agency said it subsequently wrote to the Government of J&K on December 17, 2025, requesting that it issue a notification and facilitate the conservation of the site.
A joint inspection by GSI officials and the district administration was also conducted on March 12, 2026, for conservation and development of the area.
The GSI has further taken up a research and development project covering Guryul Ravine and Mandakpal National Geoheritage Sites to document and strengthen understanding of their geological and fossil significance.
It has also initiated efforts to install marker pillars at the Global Permo-Triassic Boundary and associated fossil-bearing locations.
Guryul Ravine, located in the Khonmoh area around 14-20 km from Srinagar, contains an unusually well-preserved sequence of rocks formed in an ancient marine environment.
These rocks record the transition between the Permian and Triassic periods, a geological turning point around 252 million years ago.
This was the time of the end-Permian mass extinction, when an estimated 90 percent of marine species and about 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrate species disappeared.
Scientists value Guryul because its exposed rock sequence is both thick and continuous.
Research describes the section as more than 100 metres thick and apparently continuous across the Permian-Triassic transition.
The site has played an important role in scientific efforts to understand where and how the Permian-Triassic boundary should be defined.
At one stage, Guryul was even considered as a candidate for the Global Stratotype Section and Point — a reference location used internationally to define a geological boundary.
Guryul has also attracted international scientific interest because of sedimentary structures that some researchers have interpreted as evidence of ancient tsunami activity.
Studies have identified unusual deposits and seismites associated with the period of environmental upheaval.
However, claims that Guryul contains evidence of the “world’s first-ever recorded tsunami” need to be treated cautiously.
While some researchers have interpreted the structures as tsunami deposits, others have suggested that certain features could have been produced by powerful storms.
Guryul’s importance is not a recent discovery.
Geological investigations in Kashmir began more than a century ago, with British geologists studying the region during the 19th century.
Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen published geological work on Kashmir in the 1860s. Later researchers, including Hayden and Middlemiss, as well as Indian and Japanese geological teams, contributed to understanding the region’s Permian-Triassic rocks.
Sir Walter Lawrence’s The Valley of Kashmir, published in 1895, also recorded geological and fossil observations relating to the region.
Since then, Guryul has been studied for its fossils, rock formations, geochemistry, ancient climate and evidence relating to the mass extinction.
The GSI’s latest response has also highlighted the question of legal protection.
The agency said the possibility of providing urgent protection under the Dachigam National Park and Eco-Sensitive Zone framework had been discussed with the J&K Government, as the Guryul Ravine section falls within the Eco-Sensitive Zone.
“The site’s location within Dachigam National Park & Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), Srinagar strengthens its potential for offering the statutory protection,” the GSI said.
The agency said that its scientific work, together with the J&K Government notification — which it specifically described as “awaited” – could provide the basis for sustainable geotourism and geoconservation at Guryul.
It also said these measures could help lay the groundwork for a future Geopark proposal, subject to UNESCO’s prescribed criteria and procedures.
The Environmental Policy Group (EPG), which has been campaigning for protection of Guryul, has now renewed its appeal to the J&K Government.
EPG ConvenorFaizBakshi has sought the Chief Secretary’s intervention, arguing that national recognition must now be followed by concrete protection and a comprehensive development plan.
“With this declaration, the protection rules have completely changed, and authorities must ensure strict compliance,” Bakshi had said following the GSI’s declaration of Guryul as a National Geoheritage Site.
The EPG has also raised concerns about dumping and other activities around the site and called for safeguards against activities that could damage the fossil-bearing rocks.
“The scientific importance of Guryul also presents an unusual tourism opportunity for Jammu and Kashmir,” Bakshi said, adding that researchers have suggested that the site could be developed as a specialised geoheritage destination combining field geology, palaeontology, education, research and responsible tourism.
“Unlike conventional tourist attractions, Guryul could potentially draw a specialised international audience comprising geologists, palaeontologists, university researchers, scientists and students, alongside visitors interested in Earth history,” he said.
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