Context: Erra Matti Dibbalu or red sand dunes in Visakhapatnam have been included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About Erra Matti Dibbalu.
Erra Matti Dibbalu:
- Erra Matti Dibbalu, also called Red Sand Hills, are unique red sand formations near Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- The formations belong to the late Quaternary period (50,000-20,000 years ago). They preserve records of ancient climate changes, monsoon patterns, and sea-level rise and fall.
- The dunes stand 10-30 feet high and have a bright rusty-red colour due to ferrous minerals oxidising (rusting) over time.
- Such red sand dunes are very rare and found only in three places in the world: Visakhapatnam, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka.
- Stone tools and pottery from microlithic, mesolithic, and paleolithic periods have been found here, showing that early humans lived in this region.
- It was declared as a Geo-Heritage site in 2014 by the Geological Survey of India.
Erra Matti Dibbalu qualifies under UNESCO Criterion (viii) for representing exceptional records of Earth’s geomorphological and environmental history.