Geoheritage Sites in Kumaun Himalaya of Uttarakhand, India

A number of studies have shown that the conservation and protection of significant geoheritage sites are crucial for scientific expeditions, education, and cultural viewpoint. Such geosites include places of geological, geomorphological, structural, palaeontological, stratigraphic, mineralogical, and/or archaeological significance. The values for bio-tourism, geotourism, and archaeo-tourism with distinguished geological features can be considered geoheritage in particular. The rocks of the Kumaun Himalaya (North India) ranging from the Proterozoic to Cenozoic periods are ideally preserved in various geographic domains and comprise a large number of geosites. These rock units have enormous potential to implement the concept of geopark and geotourism in the Kumaun Himalaya. In this paper, we have highlighted significant geosites of Kumaun Himalaya by describing their geology and related aspects along with their educational value. The conservation of proposed geosites is especially crucial to preserve them for posterity. Government agencies and educational institutes can promote the existing and potential sites of geotourism which will ultimately enhance the economy of the region and certainly help to develop and conserve important geosites in the rugged Himalaya terrain. Therefore, it is proposed that the geosites of Kumaun Himalaya, preserved in different geographical domains, should be conserved as national geoparks in India.