The Kachchh Basin is a peri-cratonic rift basin in the Gujarat state of Western India which exposes a vast range of geological features which are of great importance for basic and applied research by geoscientists. The fossil-rich stratigraphy of the Kachchh Basin represents the past 200 million years of geological history from the Jurassic Period to the present day, including through the Neogene Period. Both Mesozoic and Cenozoic sequences are highly fossiliferous with a variety of mega, macro, and micro-fossils, including invertebrate, plant, trace, and vertebrate fossils. Crucially, the Kachchh Rift Basin demonstrates a uniquely well exposed, syn to post-rift tectono-sedimentary sequence formed from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous during the break up of Eastern Gondwanaland. The basin is bounded by reactivated primary faults forming tilted horsts and half-grabens. Tilted-up edges of the uplifted fault blocks are represented by uplifted hilly ranges, whereas the intervening subsiding blocks are the geomorphological expression of the low-lying Rann and Banni plains (mudflats, marshes, and grassland). This activity was followed by an inversion cycle initiated in Late Early Cretaceous following the aborting of the rift and is active in the present neotectonic cycle. Thick Deccan Trap lava flows and basic intrusive bodies indicate associated deeper crustal and mantle processes associated with this rift basin evolution. Easily accessed, well-exposed continuous sedimentary sequences with scanty vegetation provide a unique window of opportunity to looking into the geological past of this unique landscape which has preserved the evidence of the evolution of life both in near shore, coastal, and terrestrial environment, as well as a rare opportunity to understand a history of syn/post-rift-fill sedimentation, volcanism, and tectono-geomorphical evolution. More recently the terrain has become a hotspot amongst the planetary scientists as it provides a terrestrial analogue for Lunar and Martian landscapes. These and many other features justify why the unique geological heritage of the Kachchh Basin should be conserved for posterity not only for geoscientists from all over the world but also for local communities and visitors who could learn from its 200 million year history. We therefore propose that the landscapes of the Kachchh Basin should be conserved as a National Geopark in India to achieve such ambitions, and we believe that in this, they have an immense potential to achieve many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It is proposed to create 9 geo-stations (for administration) and 75 geosites grouped under these stations within the proposed Kachchh Geopark.

Kachchh盆地是印度西部古吉拉特邦的近克拉通裂谷盆地，具有广泛的地质特征，对于地质学家的基础研究和应用研究具有重要意义。Kachchh盆地富含化石的地层代表了从侏罗纪到今天（包括新近纪）的过去2亿年的地质历史。中生代和新生代序列都是高度化石的，具有各种大型，大型和微化石，包括无脊椎动物，植物，痕迹和脊椎动物化石。最重要的是，Kachchh裂谷盆地表现出独特的暴露良好的构造，与东冈德瓦纳大陆解体期间从三叠纪晚期到白垩纪早期形成的裂陷后构造-沉积沉积序列同步。该盆地的边界是重新活化的主要断层，形成了倾斜的霍斯特和半grabens。隆起的断块的倾斜边缘由隆起的丘陵山脉代表，而中间的沉降块则是低洼的兰恩和班尼平原（泥滩，沼泽和草原）的地貌表达。这一活动之后是裂谷中止后在白垩纪晚期开始的反转周期，并在当前的新构造周期中活跃。Deccan Trap厚厚的熔岩流和基本侵入体表明与该裂谷盆地演化相关的更深的地壳和地幔过程。易于访问，充分暴露的连续沉积序列和稀少的植被为研究这种独特景观的地质过去提供了独特的机会，该窗口保留了近岸，沿海和陆地环境以及海洋中生物进化的证据。难得的机会，可以了解裂隙/后裂隙充填的沉积，火山作用和构造-地貌演化的历史。最近，地形已经成为行星科学家的热点，因为它为月球和火星景观提供了地面模拟。这些以及许多其他特征证明了为什么应该保留卡奇盆地独特的地质遗产，不仅是后代的地质学家，而且还应该是可以从其2亿年历史中学习的地方社区和游客的后代。因此，我们建议将卡奇湖盆地的景观作为印度国家地质公园予以保存，以实现这些雄心壮志，并且我们相信，在这种情况下，它们具有实现联合国许多可持续发展目标的巨大潜力。提议在拟建的卡奇地质公园内创建9个地理站（用于管理）和75个地理站点，这些站点归为这些站点。