RAS question
Which geological feature is the Barmer-Jaisalmer basin of the Thar Desert notable for?
Correct answer: (D) Petroleum and natural gas reserves.
The Barmer-Jaisalmer basin of the Thar Desert is notable for petroleum and natural gas reserves.
Explanation
The feature to identify is hydrocarbons: the Barmer-Jaisalmer basin is important for petroleum and natural gas reserves. The Directorate of Petroleum, Government of Rajasthan, frames hydrocarbon production as a key petroleum-sector strategy for the state and records proved reserves in discovered fields of the Barmer-Sanchore Basin, with production from oil and gas fields including Mangla, Bhagyam and Aishwariya. The Directorate of Petroleum, Government of Rajasthan, also discusses natural gas resources in the Jaisalmer and Barmer-Sanchore basins. ONGC and Cairn India, now Vedanta, found major oil fields in Barmer district, making petroleum and natural gas the defining geological-economic feature tested here.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Large coal deposits do not identify this basin; Rajasthan's major coal reference is in the Bikaner-Palana area instead of Barmer-Jaisalmer.
- (B) Geothermal springs do not identify the Barmer-Jaisalmer basin as its defining feature; the relevant official petroleum context is petroleum and natural gas.
- (C) Active volcanic activity is ruled out because the Thar Desert region has no such volcanic activity.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan economic geography through the link between desert sedimentary basins and hydrocarbon resources. It recurs in RAS because Barmer-Jaisalmer connects physical geography with state revenue, energy resources and location-based development questions.