MALKAPURAM TUFA CAVITIES

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Glennie, E A (s.a. circa 1948 Mss) had learned of an extremely interesting deposit of a tufa [travertine], which is quite recent in age, occurs at the junction of the two one inch sheets 57 I/3 and 57 E/15. The tufa has dolerite on the northern side of the range [Katomora Konda N15°25': E077°59': 623 m asl] between the Dhone taluk of the Kurnool district and the Banganapalle State [now Banaganapalle taluq]. It is a cavernous rock, the cavities of which contain many stalactites and stalagmites [speleothems]. The Malkapuram stream, which before its passage through a gap in the Pulivendla capped ridge, drains a large area [note 1] of Vaivapalli limestone [note 2] is responsible. Hence the tufa is far removed from the site of any true limestone caves (note 3). SITUATION (Everest 1830): Perhaps, but this is mere guesswork, close to the right (eastern) edge of Survey on India sheet 57-E/15 (edition 1977) and about 3 km in a direct line north-east of Garladinne (N15°18': E077°58'30”:322 m asl), where FALLS 14 m and a temple (no name mentioned) is shown near N15°15'15.0”: E078°59'50” on a nameless stream (Glennie's Malkapuram stream?), which arrives from the vicinity of the Malkapuram Railway Station (N15°22'05”: E079°47'52”: 458 m asl) and the village of Chinna Malkapuram (N15°20'47”: E079°48'18”), flows past the village indicated as Malkapurar (Malkapuram? N15°15'35”: E079°48'50”: 430 m asl) and turns, about a kilometre east of Malkapurar south at right angles to fall into a gap of the east-west running ridge of hills (culminating at 504 m asl) rising north of kilometer 29 on the 53 km long road from Pyapulli / Pyapalli (note 4) west to Banganapalle (note 5).Glennie, E A (s.a. circa 1948 Mss) had learned of an extremely interesting deposit of a tufa [travertine], which is quite recent in age, occurs at the junction of the two one inch sheets 57 I/3 and 57 E/15. The tufa has dolerite on the northern side of the range [Katomora Konda N15°25': E077°59': 623 m asl] between the Dhone taluk of the Kurnool district and the Banganapalle State [now Banaganapalle taluq]. It is a cavernous rock, the cavities of which contain many stalactites and stalagmites [speleothems]. The Malkapuram stream, which before its passage through a gap in the Pulivendla capped ridge, drains a large area [note 1] of Vaivapalli limestone [note 2] is responsible. Hence the tufa is far removed from the site of any true limestone caves (note 3). SITUATION (Everest 1830): Perhaps, but this is mere guesswork, close to the right (eastern) edge of Survey on India sheet 57-E/15 (edition 1977) and about 3 km in a direct line north-east of Garladinne (N15°18': E077°58'30”:322 m asl), where FALLS 14 m and a temple (no name mentioned) is shown near N15°15'15.0”: E078°59'50” on a nameless stream (Glennie's Malkapuram stream?), which arrives from the vicinity of the Malkapuram Railway Station (N15°22'05”: E079°47'52”: 458 m asl) and the village of Chinna Malkapuram (N15°20'47”: E079°48'18”), flows past the village indicated as Malkapurar (Malkapuram? N15°15'35”: E079°48'50”: 430 m asl) and turns, about a kilometre east of Malkapurar south at right angles to fall into a gap of the east-west running ridge of hills (culminating at 504 m asl) rising north of kilometer 29 on the 53 km long road from Pyapulli / Pyapalli (note 4) west to Banganapalle (note 5).