• 9964432222
  • Mail Us
  • Appointment
  • Locate Us
  • Chat Now
  • Courses
  • Login
  • Register
Manifest IAS
JournalsOfIndia
Manifest Learning Academy
  • Home
  • SNIPPETSfor Prelims
  • ARTICLESfor Mains
  • BROWSEBY SOURCE
  • DOWNLOADS
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • SNIPPETSfor Prelims
  • ARTICLESfor Mains
  • BROWSEBY SOURCE
  • DOWNLOADS
No Result
View All Result
JournalsOfIndia
No Result
View All Result
Home Geography

Sedimentary basins of India

January 1, 2021
in Geography
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Sedimentary basins of India
4.4k
VIEWS
Share on WhatsAppShare on TelegramShare on Facebook
image_pdfMake PDF

Sedimentary basins are the richest sources of petroleum products across the world. The method of their formation, the reason for the rich mineral resources and their distribution across India is an area of interest for UPSC. The presence of nearly 40 Hydro Carbon sedimentary basins across India and the recent exploration of the Bengal basin also makes it all the more important.

In news: ONGC began production in Bengal basin, making it India’s eighth functional.
Placing it in syllabus: Geography

Static dimensions

  1. What are sedimentary basins?
  2. Methods of formation
  3. Why are hydrocarbon deposits found in sedimentary basins?
  4. Economic advantages of sedimentary basins

Current dimensions

  1. Sedimentary basins of India

Content:

India has 26 sedimentary basins covering an area of 3.14 million square kilometres. Of these, 16 are onland basins, 7 located both onland and offshore and 3 completely offshore. Broadly Indian sedimentary basins have been divided into four categories based on their degree of prospectivity. 

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited recently began crude oil production from the Ashokenagar-1 well, Bengal Basin in 24 Pargana district. This has made the Bengal basin India’s eighth producing basin. The first hydrocarbon consignment produced during well testing was sent to Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s Haldia Oil Refinery.

The other basins where commercial production is already going on are – Cambay, Mumbai Offshore, Rajasthan, Krishna Godavari, Cauvery and Assam-Arakan Fold Belt. Seven out of the eight producing basins of India covers 83 percent of established oil and gas reserves that have been put to production.

 What are sedimentary basins?

  • Sedimentary basins are regions of the Earth where long-term subsidence creates accommodation space for accumulation of sediments.
  • As the sediments are buried, they are subject to increasing pressure and begin the processes of compaction and lithification that transform them into sedimentary rock.
  • Sedimentary basins occur in diverse geological settings usually associated with plate tectonic activity.
  • Tectonic processes that lead to subsidence include the thinning of underlying crust; sedimentary, volcanic or tectonic loading; or changes in the thickness or density of adjacent lithosphere.
  • They are classified by their tectonic setting (divergent, convergent, transform, intraplate), the proximity of the basin to the active plate margins, and whether oceanic, continental or transitional crust underlies the basin.

Methods of formation:

Sedimentary basins form primarily in convergent, divergent and transform settings.

  • Convergent boundaries create foreland basins through tectonic compression of oceanic and continental crust during lithospheric flexure. 
  • Tectonic extension at divergent boundaries where continental rifting is occurring can create a nascent ocean basin leading to either an ocean or the failure of the rift zone.
  • In tectonic strike-slip settings, the lower, hotter part of the lithosphere will “flow” slowly away from the main area being stretched, whilst the upper, cooler and more brittle crust will tend to fault (crack) and fracture. The combined effect of these two mechanisms is for the Earth’s surface in the area of extension to subside, creating a geographical depression which is then often infilled with water and/or sediments.

Why are hydrocarbon deposits found in sedimentary basins?

  • The structures formed in sedimentary basins are known to act as traps for hydrocarbons (i.e. natural gas and petroleum).
  • The processes that lead to the formation of these deposits are associated with rifting zones.
  • Hydrocarbon traps form in permeable layers of rock (such as sandstone) called reservoir rocks that are ‘capped’ by impermeable rocks (such as shale). 
  • Since water is denser than both petroleum and gas, they will not mix.
  • Water will then force these fossil fuels through permeable rocks until they pool together in traps formed by cap rocks.

Advantages of sedimentary basins:

  • It preserves unique information regarding the history of tectonic, biologic, oceanographic, and atmospheric events during Earth’s evolution.
  • Basin fill contains most of the fuel and water, and many of the mineral resources, that are critical for society and industrial civilization.
  • Would contribute towards attaining the goal for reducing oil import dependence.
Mould your thought:

  1. Explain the importance of sedimentary basins. Why are hydrocarbons formed in a sedimentary basin?

Approach to the answer:

  • Define a sedimentary basin.
  • Explain its importance
  • Explain why hydrocarbons are formed in a sedimentary basin
  • Brief about India’s sedimentary basins
  • Conclusion
image_pdfMake PDF
Source: The Hindu
Tags: GS-1Mains

Related Posts

Shaligram stone

Shaligram stone

February 4, 2023
Green comet appearing close to Earth after 50,000 years

Green comet appearing close to Earth after 50,000 years

January 25, 2023
The first evidence of the presence of solitary waves in Mars reported

The first evidence of the presence of solitary waves in Mars reported

January 18, 2023
Europe’s largest known deposit of rare earth elements found in Sweden

Europe’s largest known deposit of rare earth elements found in Sweden

January 14, 2023
Evidence of mantle plume beneath the surface of the red planet

Evidence of mantle plume beneath the surface of the red planet

January 14, 2023
Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express

January 12, 2023
What is a cold wave?

What is a cold wave?

January 11, 2023
Airglow can make sky green, yellow and red  colours

Airglow can make sky green, yellow and red colours

January 10, 2023
Tidal disruption event or destruction of a star by a black hole

Tidal disruption event or destruction of a star by a black hole

January 2, 2023
Joshimath in Uttarakhand is sinking

Joshimath in Uttarakhand is sinking

December 31, 2022
Please login to join discussion
JournalsOfIndia

Our vision is to orient the readers to grasp the facts objectively and analyse critically. In the rush of reaching first to the readers, the websites miss the balanced opinion, which is the need of the hour. We aim to reach the readers with more crispness, preciseness and relevance. We bring the articles in UPSC way for the civil services aspirants and the Wisest Way for general readers.

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Disaster Management
  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Ethics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Geography
  • Governance
  • History
  • Law & Policy
  • Opinion
  • People in News
  • Places in News
  • Science & Tech
  • Security
  • Society
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Browse by Tag

AIR All India Radio BBC Business Line Business Standard dow Down to Earth DownToEarth DTE Economic Times ET FAO Financial Express GS-1 GS-2 GS-3 GS-4 Hindustan Times IE India & the world Indian express Indiatoday India today Kurukshetra Livelihoods portal LiveMint Mains News News Paper Newspaper PIB Prelims PRS India RSTV Science Reporter Survey The Hindu The India Express The Indian Express The Print the wire Times of India TOI TOPPERS Yojana

Newsletter

The most important UPSC news and events of the day.

Get Journals daily newsletter on your inbox.

© 2020 JournalsOfIndia - A free initiative by Manifest Team.

  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • SNIPPETS
  • ARTICLES
  • BROWSE
  • DOWNLOADS
No Result
View All Result

© 2020 JournalsOfIndia - A free initiative by Manifest Team.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In