NATURAL WEALTH

Minerals

The geology of the district is transitional with trap rocks predominating. According to the period of the formation the rocks of peninsula India can be divided into three main groups, the Archaean the purana and Aryan. In the district the Archaean rocks were entirely covered by the puranic rocks. These were in turn covered by the Gondwana system. Next the Deccan traps were spread over all. Finally the action of the atmosphere removed the Deccan traps in parts exposing Gondwana and Laments beds. During the last stage also alluvial soil, the common black cotton soil, was spread over parts of the District.

The Archaean group is the oldest. It consists of crystalline rocks of various kinds, the most prominent being gueisses and schists, and the raks of the Dharwarian system. No Archaean rocks thas been noticed in the district.

The Purana group occurs next in point of antiquity. It consists of sediments. In parts, as in the Cuddapah. System, the thickness of this group is as much as 20,000 feet. It can be divided in to lower and higher beds. The lower beds consists chiefly of ferruginous jaspers and procellanities, the higher of shales, limestone’s, and sandstone.

The Aryan group is the most recent and includes two great subdivisions the Gondwana system and the Deccan traps. The Gondwana system is formed of sub-aerial and freshwater deposits. It is divided into lower and upper Gondwanas, and further distinctions are made in these. In the lower Gondwanas there occurs the Damuda Series, which contains the most valuable of the Indian coal seams. In the upper Gondwans there occurs the Mahadeva series which consists chiefly of sandstone.

The Decan trap is perhaps the most extraordinary of all these formations. It consists of volcanic lava flows, which are spread out, in the form of horizontal sheets or beds. Because of their dominantly basaltic composition and the tendency to form flat topped plateaus, the laves are termed plateau basalts. Since these basaltic lava flows cover an extensive region in the Deccan and frequently present step like appearance to the hills and ridges they are commonly termed as ‘Deccan traps ‘ the word trap meaning ‘step like’. The rocks wither by exfoliation into , massive spheriodal boulders which are usually seen on hill slopes and foot hills. In some flows the basalt is columnar end weathers into fantastic shapes.

At the base of the Deccan trap there are beds known as the Lameta series. They consists chiefly of limestone. They were probably formed by the weathering of the Gondwana or other rocks before lava spread over them.

The district has rich deposits of coal. The coal fields geologically belong to the Barakav stage of the Damuda series of the Lower Gondwanas system. The district also has extensive deposits of good quality limestone , belongly to the Vindhyan system ,which is suitable for the manufacture of cement.

Most of the district is covered by ‘Deccan traps. Trap rocks are generally barren of any economically useful and important minerals. But being hard, dense and durable they are extensively used as building stones, road metal, railway ballast and as an aggregate for concrete mixtures.

Forest Wealth

There are thick forests in Pusad ,Digras, Arni, Ghatanji, Maregaon and Yavatmal talukas of Yavatmal district. Tipeshwar, Tiwsala, Umbarda and Bitargaon are the well-known forests of the district. Trees like teak, bamboo, tendu, hirda, apta and moh grow in the forests.

Wild-boar , Deer, Nilgai, Sambar and Hyena are some of the animals found in the forests. Tipeshwar and Penganga are the two wild-life sanctuaries in the district. The Peacock, our national bird, can be seen in these forests.

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