Angadipuram Laterite
in Valamboor, IndiaCategory: Attraction
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Unnamed Road, Eranthode, Valamboor, Kerala 679321, India Print route »
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Angadipuram Laterite is a notified National Geo-heritage Monumentin Angadipuram town in Malappuram district in the southern Indian state of Kerala, India. The special significance of Angadipuram to laterites is that it was here that Dr. Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, a professional surgeon, gave the first account of this rock type, in his report of 1807, as "indurated clay", ideally suited for building construction. This formation falls outside the general classification of rocks namely, the igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks but is an exclusively "sedimentary residual product". It has a generally pitted and porous appearance. The name laterite was first coined in India, by Buchanan and its etymology is traced to the Latin word "letritis" that means bricks. This exceptional formation is found above parent rock types of various composition namely, charnockite, leptynite, anorthosite and gabbro in Kerala. It is found over basalt in the states of Goa, Maharashtra and in some regions of Karnataka. In Gujarat in western India, impressive formations of laterite are found over granite, shale and sandstone..Apart from its use as bricks in building construction, it has other substantial economic value, since it has been established that laterites are closely juxtaposed with aluminium ore (bauxite), iron ore and nickel ore mineral deposits in many parts of Kerala.
The GSI has erected a monument at Angadipuram (see picture) where the laterite formations were first identified, as one of the 26 monuments declared as National Geological Monuments, on the occasion of the "International Conference on Laterization" held in 1979.Angadipuram is also well known as a pilgrimage centre for its famous temples, the Thirumandhamkunnu temple and the Tali temple.
