India’s first unique Open Rock Museum was inaugurated recently by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh in Hyderabad.

The Museum has been established with the aim to make people and students aware about different types of rocks sourced from varied parts of India including Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand, among others.

The Museum at present houses 35 types of rocks with their age ranging from 3.3 billion years to around 55 million years, thus providing a glimpse of the history of the Earth. The exhibits also represent the deepest part of the earth — up to 175 kms of distance from the surface of the earth.

Earthquake risk maps

Singh also released Earthquake Risk Maps of Lucknow and Dehradun cities. These were handed over to the representatives of the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority – the main stakeholders.

Prepared by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI), these earthquake risk maps are for Lucknow and Dehradun cities — which are vulnerable to future quakes. The maps characterise the hazard and its uncertainty and will provide vital input for risk assessment and earthquake resistant design, for varied structures and infrastructures like houses, multi-storied buildings, bridges and dams.

The maps will prove beneficial for revising land use maps and building and construction bye-laws.

The Minister also addressed the scientists at the CSIR-NGRI and hoped that its future research on deep-earth and near-surface explorations, critical for understanding Earth’s structure and dynamics, will play a major role in the country’s development.