Pillow lavas, Maradihalli
Pillow lavas, Maradihalli | |
|---|---|
  Pillow lavas, Maradihalli Location within Karnataka | |
| Coordinates: 13°57′N 76°37′E / 13.95°N 76.62°E | |
| Location | Maradihalli, Chitradurga district, Karnataka, India |
Official name | Pillow lavas near Maradihalli |
| Designated | 1975 |
Designated by | Geological Survey of India |
Pillow lavas at Maradihalli is a geological formation in Chitradurga district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It was notified as a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India in 1975.
Geography
The Maradihalli Hills form part of the Chitradurga greenstone belt, which represents a former submarine basin. It is located in Chitradurga district, Karnataka.[1] The geological site, spread over 2.5 acres (1.0 ha), was notified as a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India in 1975.[2][3]
Geology
The Maradihalli pillow lavas occur within the Chitradurga schist belt of the Dharwar Group. Dating to about 2.5 billion years, it provides evidence for understanding the evolution of Precambrian peninsular India. The Chitradurga schist belt is bounded on both sides by older gneissic rocks, about three billion years old. The basaltic lavas are found on a small, elongated rocky mound, with a massive core surrounded by lava pillows along its crest and sides.[1]
Pillow lavas are volcanic rocks formed when hot molten lava erupts underwater. On coming into contact with cold water, the lava cools rapidly and breaks into rounded or roughly spherical bodies called pillows. These pillows generally have flat bottoms and rounded tops. Their shape and arrangement are useful for determining the order of rock layers in deformed geological formations.[1][4] The pillow lavas measure up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter and consist of radial fractures measuring 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in).[5]
See also
- Pillow lavas, Nomira
References
- 1 2 3 National Geo-heritage of India (PDF) (Report). Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. pp. 55–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2017.
- ↑ "Geo-Heritage Sites". Press Information Bureau (Press release). 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ↑ "Discover Maradihalli pillow lava, Earth's timeless geological wonder". Bangalore Mirror. 4 October 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Pillow lava". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Tridib Kumar Mondal; Sourav Mondal; Sirshendu Kumar Biswas; Gourav Das (October 2023). "Understanding the spatio-temporal evolution of fractures in pillow basalt". Geologica Acta. 21 (8): 1–11. doi:10.1344/GeologicaActa2023.21.8.