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Ram Setu

22nd July, 2024

Ram Setu

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Context:  Scientists from the ISRO have successfully mapped the submerged structure of Adam's Bridge.

Details

Other names

  • Adam's Bridge

Historical naming

  • Ibn Khordadbeh's Kitāb al-Masālik wa-l-Mamālik referred to it as "Set Bandhai" or "Bridge of the Sea."
  • Al-Biruni's Tārīkh al-Hind (c. 1030) introduced the name "Adam's Bridge,".

Location

  • Between Pamban Island,  off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.
  • Separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast)

Length

  • 48 km

Structure  

  • Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 1 to 10 metres deep in places.
  • According to temple records it was completely above sea level until it broke in a cyclone in 1480.

Geological evolution

  • Limestone shoals.
  • Series of parallel ledges of sandstone and conglomerates.
  • Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) concludes that Adam's Bridge comprises 103 small patch reefs lying in a linear pattern with reef crest, sand cays and intermittent deep channels.

Cays, also known as keys, refer to low-elevation islands situated on surfaces made of coral reef.

Transport Corridor

 

  • In 2005, the government of India approved Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project.
  • Aims to create a ship channel across the Palk Strait by dredging the shallow ocean floor near Dhanush Kodi.
  • Underwater exploration project earlier done through vessel named Sindhu Sadhana.

Sindhu Sadhana is an indigenous exploration vessel which can stay underwater for up to 45 days.

Biosphere reserves

  • The coral reef platforms between Thoothukudi and Rameswaram in the Gulf of Mannar were notified as a marine biosphere reserve in 1989.

Religious significance

  • Hindu believers hold it as the structure that Lord Rama and his army built to reach Lanka.
  • Muslim tradition holds that Adam's Bridge was crossed by Adam following his expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Recent Mapping and Findings

  • Map reveals the bridge's continuity from Dhanushkodi to Talaimannar, with a staggering 99.98 per cent of it submerged in shallow waters.
  • Discovered 11 narrow channels that allowed water to flow between the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait, playing a crucial role in preserving the structure from sea waves.

Technology Used

  • The researchers used NASA's ICESat-2 data from October 2018 to October 2023 to generate a 10-meter resolution map of the full length of the submerged ridge.

Sources:

Republic,Wikipedia.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. The Ram Setu carries the unique geological imprints of an eventful past and needs to be preserved. Justify. 150 words.