Indian researchers have identified geological sites in Tamil Nadu and Chile

♦ Indian researchers have identified geological sites in Tamil Nadu and Chile’s Atacama Desert that share mineralogical and environmental characteristics with Mars, offering new insights into the planet’s history of water activity and potential habitability. A research team from the University of Kerala identified two hydrous sulphate minerals — melanterite and gypsum — at locations with geological, chemical and physical similarities to the Martian environment.

♦ Melanterite was detected in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu, while gypsum was identified in the Atacama Desert in Chile and the Tiruchirappalli Badlands, a semi-arid geological and palaeoclimatic region in Tamil Nadu.

♦ According to the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the findings could help scientists better understand past water-related processes on Mars and identify environments that may once have supported life.

♦ The research was led by Dr Sajin Kumar K.S., Project Coordinator of the DST-FIST programme at the University of Kerala’s Department of Geology. The team used an advanced laser Raman spectrometer, supported by the DST’s Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST) programme, to identify the minerals through their distinctive spectral signatures.

♦ Both melanterite and gypsum are hydrous sulphates that provide evidence of interactions between water and rocks, making them valuable indicators for studying the geological history of Mars.

♦ While gypsum preserves evidence of past aqueous environments, melanterite forms under temporary wet, acidic and oxidising conditions, similar to processes believed to have occurred on Mars.

Ramsar site

India’s Ramsar site tally has reached 103 with the addition of Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh and Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh, announced Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on 15 October 2026. The Minister said the latest additions reaffirm India’s ongoing efforts to conserve its rich wetland ecosystems and strengthen the ecological, climatic and livelihood benefits they provide.

• Located at the edge of the city of Chandigarh and at the base of the Outer Himalayas, Sukhna Wetland is a peri-urban reservoir that plays an important role in regulating sediment and water flows from the surrounding catchment. The wetland experiences seasonal fluctuations in water levels and supports a range of habitats, from open water to littoral vegetation, scrub and forest, providing habitat for diverse species. The Site is particularly important for resident waterbirds and others migrating along the Central Asian Flyway, providing feeding, breeding, roosting and wintering habitats. Notable species include the vulnerable common pochard (Aythya ferina) and the endangered Pallas’s fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus). The shallow littoral habitats also support reptiles such as the endangered black pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii).

• Sauj Jheel in the state of Uttar Pradesh is a shallow lake surrounded by farmland in the floodplain of the Ganga River. It forms part of a larger network of wetlands, contributing to ecological connectivity in the wider landscape, and is close to Saman Bird Sanctuary. The lake supports diverse wetland-associated vegetation, including the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). These habitats provide nesting and breeding sites, as well as shelter and food resources, for a variety of animal species.

Turkey

♦ Archaeologists announced the discovery of an ancient shipwreck off Kekova Island in Antalya, Turkey, on 14 October 2026. The wreck is estimated to be 4,400–4,700 years old and is considered the oldest known shipwreck, older than a 4,200-year-old wreck near Dokos Island in Greece. The ship’s wooden structure has disintegrated, so archaeologists used the style of ceramic vessels recovered from the seabed to estimate its age. More than 30 storage pots, known as amphorae, have two handles, a central ridge and a flat base. 

♦ Kekova Island lies off the coast of Antalya in southern Turkey. The surrounding waters have strong currents and winds, conditions associated with maritime hazards in the area.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet

♦ The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved a proposal on 9 October 2026 to rename Noida International Airport at Jewar as “Narendra Modi International Airport, Noida-Jewar”. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the decision in Lucknow after a Cabinet meeting. The airport is located at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. The state Cabinet’s proposal names the airport after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The stated purpose is to honour his 25-year journey of public service as head of a government.

♦ Noida International Airport is being developed at Jewar in western Uttar Pradesh. It is planned as Uttar Pradesh’s largest airport and as an aviation hub. Its location gives it a role in serving the Delhi-National Capital Region (Delhi-NCR). The airport is the second international airport serving Delhi-NCR, alongside Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

Ladakh

♦ Ladakh launched India’s first high-altitude snow leopard wildlife safari on 7 October 2026, during Wildlife Week celebrations in Leh. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena flagged off six specially designed open-back vehicles. The initiative is a collaboration between the Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature Conservation (SHAN) Society and the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, UT Ladakh. Ladakh hosts 477 of India’s estimated 718 snow leopards.

♦ The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large cat adapted to cold, rugged mountain habitats. Its range extends across the high mountains of Central and South Asia. In India, snow leopards occur in the trans-Himalayan regions of Ladakh and in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Rocky slopes and steep terrain provide habitat and cover for the species.

♦ Hemis National Park is a high-altitude protected area in Ladakh and forms part of the snow leopard’s habitat.

Maharashtra

♦ The Northern Western Ghats in Maharashtra added a new subterranean amphibian species, Gegeneophis chandgadi, from the Kolhapur region in September 2026. The discovery placed the North Western Ghats among important Indian localities for caecilian diversity, a group of legless amphibians that live underground. 

♦ Caecilians belong to the order Gymnophiona within class Amphibia. They are limbless, burrowing amphibians and are often mistaken for earthworms or snakes because of their cylindrical bodies and underground habits. India records 42 caecilian species among 458 amphibian species.

♦ The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s eight “hottest hotspots” of biological diversity. India has 12 species of the genus Gegeneophis, and 11 of them are endemic to the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats also hosts 26 endemic caecilian species.