Introduction to Geology of

Sri Lanka
 LOCATION OF SRI LANKA

Co-ordinates

Latitude - 5o 55 - 9o 51 N

Longitude -79o 52 - 81o 53 N

Total land extent = 65,525 sq.Km

Length =435 Km (North South)
Width =240 KM ( East West )
Topography
Erosion plains (Peneplains)
Peneplain is defined as being almost a plain
produced by long period of weathering and
erosion.
In 1929, German geologist Frank Dawson
described that;
Three well marked peneplains are fromed in the
island as;
Lowest, Middle and Highest peneplain.
Their main characteristics being that hills ridges
and platueas are generally at same level
Cross section across the island showing
three peneplains
Lowest peneplain

Surrounds the central Hill Country on all sides

and is a flat, sometimes gently undulating.
plain stretching down to the coast
It has an average height of less than 100 feet
but rises inland to 300 or 400 feet above sea
level.
This lowest peneplain is a result of million of
years of weathering and erosion
Cont

During this time thousand of cubic meters of

crystalline material were removed and only
roots of great mountain chains are now
remain.
Not only that valleys were filled and original
landscape has been leveled.
Sigiriya , Yapauwa Tambutte kanda at
tambutegama (900 ft) show the remarkable
flatness of lowest peneplain.
Cont..

Reason for erosion remains is they are made

of Granitic rocks containing large proportions
of Quartz highest resisted mineral against
weathering.
There are thousands of rock outcrops formed
to turtle backs due to exfoliation.
Most of these are become abutments of
irrigation tanks.
Middle peneplain

The land gradually rises from 300ft to 400ft

until it reaches the foot of an escarpment
generally at 1000ft height forms the middle
peneplain.
The railway line begins to climb this
escarpment from Rambukkana and at
Kadugannawa up to Nawalapitiya.
 Cont..
From eastern side Weraganthota to kandy
climbs this escarpment.
Southern flatform could be observed fro
Haputale gap.
Highest peneplain

highest peneplain is a complex of plateaus, mountain

chains, massifs, and basins, within each of which a
general erosion level of 6000 - 7000 ft.

The southern margin of the highest peneplain is the

magnificent Southern Wall of the Hill Country,
stretching for more than 50 miles from Adam's Peak or
Sri Pada (7,360') on the west to the ' nine peaked
mountain ' Namunukula ( 6,360') on the east, and
rising from a little over 1,000 feet to more than 5,000
feet in some places, as at World's End
 Cont..
road from Balangoda to Bandarawela climbs, is one of
the most imposing natural features in Sri Lanka and is
made up largely of resistant charnockitic gneisses.
Number of waterfalls like Diyaluma, Bambarakanda,
and Galagama Falls drop over its edges.
Two tremendous clefts cut it, namely Haputale Gap
and Ella Gap.

Running northwards from the centre of the Southern

Wall is the highest of the plateau regions, the High
Plains, stretching from Kirigalpotta (7,857') to
Pidurutalagala.
South western group
 Geological formations
90% of Sri Lanka is made up of highly
crystalline non Fossil ferrous rocks of Pre
Cambrian age.
Belonging to one of the most ancient part of
the earth crust.
Rest (North Western portion) is formed of
Mosozoic (Jurassic), Teritary(Miocene) and
Quaternary Sedimentary formations.
 Cont
Jurassic-Thabbowa, Andigama, Pallama
Miocene-Jaffna limestone
Quaternary-Beach sand deposits

Precambrian rocks are categories to four major

divisions
Highland complex
Vijayana Complex
Wanni Complex
Kadugannawa Complex
The Highland Complex (HC)
This area covers a band running across the center of
the country from Southwest to Northeast and
comprising of Metasediments aged 2000 million years.
So the HC represents 2000 million years old crust
Regional metamorphism took place at
665-550 million years ago under Medium pressure and
Very high temperature
Composed of inter-banded metamorphic
Rocks such as ;
Charnokitic gneiss, Marble, Quartzite
Quartzofeldspathic gneiss and Hornblende gneiss
Vijayan Complex (VC)
Name was given to memorize prince Vijaya landed to the west coarse in 534 BC

This group represent low lands to the North West (Western Vijayan ) and South
East of the Highland series(Eastern Vijayan)

Western vijayan complex is also called as Wanni complex

Less older than Highland complex

metamorphism at Low pressure and Low temperature compared to Highland

Vijayan boundary

Thrust zone

Mineralized belt and contain hot springs

Lot of minerals are available in throughout the area

Magnetite , Serpentinite ,Vein quartz and Cu-magnetite
South western group

Occupies the coastal belt of the South

Western sector of the island.
Comprises of meta sediments such as
Charnokitic Gneisses
There are distinct rock types not found any
ware within the island
Founder of Sri Lanka geology

Prof. P.G. Cooray author of An Introduction

to Geology of Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
First edition published in 1967
Coloured geological map was published by
Prof. in 1982.
Mapped over 5000 sq km of the island.
 Cont.
Peter Jerald Cooray was born in 920. His degrees
were obtained from The University of London
(1942) in Geography followed by a First Class
Honours degree in Geology, also at London a
decade later. In 1960 he completed his London
hat trick with a Ph.D in Geology, and at the
same time received a geology diploma from
Imperial College. Whilst working on these
degrees he was employed at the University of
Ceylon and as a geologist with the Geological
Survey Department, Sri Lanka
 His obituary noted that he was gleefully
working away on a geology book until the very
day that his death occurred.
We must honor to his name as all of these
information were extracted from his text book

End Than you