Orissa POST, in its continued effort to highlight the wonders of the state, carried out a survey of the difficult terrains of Jamda-Koira iron ore belt to unearth interesting facets of ‘Pillow Lava’ at Nomira under Bamebari tehsil of Keonjhar district. Pillow lava is normally formed when volcanic eruptions occur in the ocean or in a water body. Curiosity of this scribe ran high when it was learnt that Nomira’s pillow basalt has got a monument tag from the Geological Survey of India (GSI). Here is an attempt to understand the geological marvel and bring it to the limelight.
The site found place in National Geological Monuments of India in December 1976 (see the picture of the plaque). Locals said there was heavy rush at the site when the GSI authorities arrived at the spot and found how lava which has taken the shape of pillows on a rocky surface.
Since the pillow basalt had formed in Nomira a long ago, the rocks have got damaged. However, the GSI authorities have tagged the particular stones for their recognition.
When contacted, a senior geologist of Geological Survey of India said, “Yes, it is a real wonder. Usually, pillow shaped rocks or pillow basalt is formed after sudden cooling of lava due to volcanic eruptions in a shallow aqueous environment or shallow marine condition. Jamda-Koira valley which consists of iron ore group of rocks encapsulates the geological wonder.”
Explaining on the timing of the formation of the pillow basalt at Nomira, the geologist said, “This might have happened more than 2.7 billon years ago which we call the Achaean age. There could have been an ocean or any kind of a large water body where the volcanic eruptions had occurred and the lava got the shape of pillows when it got cooled in the water. ”
He also said that the Union ministry of mines is focusing on preservation and protection of rare geological findings. “Plans are afoot to protect all the geological monuments of India,” he added.
Revealing more about the scope to detect the exact age of the pillow lava, the geologist said, “it’s really a challenge for the geoscientists. We can take samples of the rock and conduct a lab test on them to determine the age of the pillow basalt. Latest suitable dating formula can be adopted for the purpose.”
During a visit to the site, Orissa POST interacted with Santosh Kumar Barik, a resident of Nomira, a teacher at Bamebari High School. Barik said, “Choppers often landed here with so many scientists and geologists. About 12 years ago a Central team had also visited the site. Though the GSI authorities have marked the basalt stones, it’s not very visible now due to transformation process. It needs proper preservation and protection.”
How to reach?
The geological treasure trove at Nomira can be reached from Bhubaneswar through National Highway 5 up to Panikoili (93 km) and then Panikoili-Rajamunda NH 20 till Palaspanga (146 km) and then on Palaspanga-Bamebari road up to Nuagarh (25 km). The distance between Nuagarh and Nomira is about 8 km.
What is pillow basalt?
Pillow basalt is formed when volcanic eruptions occur in shallow marine condition. The lava which erupts from the magma of the earth gets suddenly cooled when it comes in contact with the water and takes the form of a pillow.
