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Landscape
Geology, Rock and Soil
The rock formation is of Archaean age and consists predominantly of Nilgiri Gneiss and its metamorphic variations. The gneiss is finely foliated and is composed of Quartz, Feldspar and Mica. The gneiss has undergone metamorphism during the course of time. Veins of quartz are not uncommon and some quartzite is also prevalent.
Terrain
Silent Valley National Park is situated in the northeastern corner of Palakkad District. The whole Park area is a roughly rectangular tableland closed on all sides. It has high and continuous ridges along its entire east, north and northeast borders and a somewhat lower ridge along the entire western and southern border. The terrain is generally undulating with steep escarpments and many hillocks. The elevation ranges from 900 M to 2,300 M above MSL with the highest peak at 2,383 M (Anginda peak). |
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Water sources
A perennial river named Kunthipuzha is passing through the western side of the park, from north to south in direction finally merging in to Bharathapuzha. Main tributaries of this river are Kunthancholapuzha, Karingathodu, Madrimaranthode, Valiaparathodu and Kummathanthode. All major tributaries of Kunthipuzha originate on the upper slopes of the eastern side of the Valley. The streams from the western slopes are dry in summer.
Forest types:
Based on Champions and Seth’s classification, 12 forest types of forests are found in the Silent Valley National Park. They are as follows:
- Southern Hill Top Tropical Evergreen Forest (1A / C3)
- West Coast Tropical Evergreen Forests( I A / C4)
- Cane Brakes (1B / E1)
- Wet Bamboo Brakes ( I / E2)
- West Coast Semi Evergreen Forests (2 A / C2)
- West Coast Secondary Evergreen Dipterocarpus Forests (2A / 2S1)
- Nilgiri Sub Tropical Hill Forests(B A / C1)
- Reed Brakes(8A /C1 /E1)
- South Indian Tropical Hill Savannah Woodland(8A / C1 / DS1)
- Southern Montane Wet Temperate Forests(IIA /C1)
- Southern Montane Wet Shrub ( II A / C1 / DS 1)
- Southern Montane Wet Grasslands ( II A/ C1/ DS2)
Biodiversity
The recorded Biodiversity In Silent Valley National Park icludes 1000 species of flowering plants, this National Park harbours 34 species of mammals, 292 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles, 22 species of amphibians, 13 species of fishes, 500 species of butterflies and moths, besides a multitude of lowerforms of animal life most of which are yet to be documented.
Composition
The chief tree species occurring in the division are:-
- Acrocarpus fraxinifolius
- Artocarpus hirsutus
- Calophyllum polyanthum
- Toona ciliata, Cullenia exarillata
- Syzygium densiflorum
- Hopea parviflora
- Mangifera indica
- Mesua ferrea
- Myristica malabarica
- Palaquium ellipticum
- Polyalthia fragrans
- Sterculia guttata
- Vateria indica
- Cinnamomum malabaricum
- Ellaeocarpus serratus
- Mallotus phillippensis
- Prunus ceylanica
- Xanthophyllum arnottianum
- Bombax ceiba
- Lagerstroemia microcarpa
- Terminalia paniculata
- Vitex altissima
- Albizzia odorotissima
- Dalbergia latifolia
- Grewelia tiliifolia
- Holoptela integrifolia
- Pterocarpus marsupium
- Xylia xylocarpa
- Cassia fistula
- Sterculia villosa
- Strychnos nuxvomica
- Thespesia populnea
- Gmelina arborea
- Phyllanthus emblica
- Shorea roxburghii
- Terminalia chebula
- Meliosma wightii
- Michelia champaca
- Rhododendron nilagiricum
- Bauhinia racemosa
- Actinodaphne campanulata.
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