RAS question
The Lathi Series in Jaisalmer is important because:
Correct answer: (A) It has underground water and fossil wood.
The Lathi Series in Jaisalmer is important for its underground freshwater reserves and fossil wood evidence at Akal Wood Fossil Park.
Explanation
The Lathi Series matters in Rajasthan geography because it links two exam-relevant themes in one Jaisalmer setting: groundwater and geological heritage. The Lathi aquifer is an underground freshwater reserve, while the official Jaisalmer groundwater atlas places the Lathi formation within the district's Jurassic rock sequence and describes aquifers in Jaisalmer as mainly associated with alluvium and sandstone. The area is also connected with fossilised wood at Akal Wood Fossil Park, and the Rajasthan Tourism page verifies Akal Wood Fossil Park near Jaisalmer as a preserved site with fossilised tree trunks. That is why option A captures the actual significance of the Lathi Series; the other options invent mineral deposits not supported here.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Uranium is not the stated significance of the Lathi Series; its significance is underground freshwater and fossil wood.
- (C) Gold deposits are not supported by the prompt or the official sources; the tested association is hydrogeology plus fossil wood, not precious-metal mining.
- (D) Diamond deposits do not fit the evidence, which links the Lathi Series with the Lathi aquifer and Akal Wood Fossil Park rather than gemstones.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's physical geography, especially the link between rock formations, aquifers and fossil evidence in the Thar region. It recurs in RAS because Jaisalmer's desert geography is often examined through water resources and geological heritage together.