INSELBERG: ADAPTATION TO SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT AND NEGLECTED AS NATURAL HERITAGE IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

An inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. It results when a body of rock resistant to erosion, such as granite or gneiss, formed within a body of softer rocks, is exposed by differential erosion and lowering of the surrounding landscape. Inselbergs are isolated formations that rise above a plain, which consists of hard bedrock. If they have a soil cover, then it becomes very sparse. Where the soil is too thin or hard to support tree life in large areas, soil trapped by inselbergs can be dense with trees while the surrounding land contains only short grass. Hollows in the rock surfaces provide catchments for rainwater. They vary in height depending on their development, and they take on different forms, as far as both ground plan and cross section are concerned, according to their genesis and lithology. Microforms caused by weathering can have formed on the rock surfaces. Inselbergs enrich their surroundings with nutrients via drainage, amounts of total nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen and potassium in rainfall, drainage from bare rock patches and vegetation mats (cover) on an inselberg. Some animals have adapted to use of inselbergs and their surroundings in Sri Lanka, including the elephants, Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), bears, and an abundance of bird and reptile life. Floral diversity from tree species to lichens are also highly useful for foods as well as for medicine. In addition to the above, inselbergs can be recognized for the education sector from secondary education to the university level. But, in Sri Lanka, all these sectors have been neglected by educators, planners and policy makers. At all events, inselbergs as natural and national heritages are invaluable resources.