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Aravalli Range
What is Aravalli Range, and where is it?
The Aravalli Range is a 670-kilometer mountain belt in northwestern India, stretching from near Delhi through Haryana and Rajasthan to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Formed during the Paleoproterozoic era, it is India's oldest fold-mountain belt, with its highest peak, Guru Shikhar, reaching 1,722 meters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
Location and Geographic Extent
The Aravalli Range runs approximately 670 kilometers in a southwest direction across northwestern India. It begins near Delhi, passes through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and terminates in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The range divides Rajasthan into two distinct regions: three-fifths of the state lies to the west toward the Thar Desert, while two-thirds extends eastward as the catchment area for the Banas and Chambal rivers. The name derives from Sanskrit roots meaning 'line of peaks.' A northeastern extension reaches into Delhi's South Delhi hills, including the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, before connecting to the Haryana Aravalli ranges.
The range forms part of the Indian Shield and joins two ancient crustal segments: the Marwar Craton to the northwest and the Bundelkhand Craton to the southeast. The Aravalli Craton itself covers Rajasthan and western and southern Haryana, bounded by the Great Boundary Fault to the east, the Thar Desert to the west, Indo-Gangetic alluvium to the north, and the Son River-Narmada River-Tapti River basins to the south. Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu, at 1,722 meters, stands as the highest point, located near the southwestern extremity of the Central Aravalli range close to the Gujarat border.
Ancient Geology and Mountain Formation
The Aravalli Range is India's oldest fold-mountain belt, dating to the Paleoproterozoic era. Its formation involved complex tectonic processes spanning billions of years. The range began as an inverted basin that rifted and pulled apart around 2.5 to 2.0 billion years ago during Aravalli passive rifting, followed by Delhi active rifting from 1.9 to 1.6 billion years ago. A collision between tectonic plates around 1.5 billion years ago, involving accretion of the Delhi island arc from the west, created the major structural deformation that built the mountains through a process called orogenesis.
Unlike the young Himalayan fold mountains that continue rising, the Aravalli has stopped growing higher due to cessation of upward thrust from tectonic plates. Millions of years of weathering have worn the range down almost completely from its original height. The basement rocks consist of the Archean Bhilwara Gneissic Complex, formed during the Archean eon approximately 4 billion years ago. Above this rest two main sequences: metasedimentary rocks and metavolcanic rocks from the Aravalli and Delhi Supergroups. The range's composition includes quartzite, marble, pelite, greywacke, and extinct volcanoes exposed throughout the Aravalli-Delhi Orogen.
Mineral Wealth and Mining History
The Aravalli Range contains commercially viable mineral deposits including rock phosphate, lead-zinc-silver ores at Zawar, serpentinite, talc, pyrophyllite, asbestos, apatite, kyanite, and beryl. Lead and zinc sulfide ores formed in sedimentary rocks approximately 1.8 billion years ago during the Paleoproterozoic phase. Zinc-lead-copper sulfides in the Delhi Supergroup rocks of Haryana and Delhi were generated by mantle plume volcanic action around one billion years ago. Tungsten-tin mineralization developed in felsic rocks and plutons. The Malani Igneous Suite at Jodhpur, the largest igneous suite in India and third largest globally, prompted the Geological Survey of India to declare it a National Geological Monument.
Mining in the Aravalli Range dates back at least to the 5th century BCE based on carbon dating, though recent research indicates copper extraction occurred during the Sothi-Siswal period around 4000 BCE. Ancient settlements at Kalibangan and Kunal in Haryana obtained copper from these hills. Excavations at the Indus Valley Civilisation site in Khanak during 2014 and 2016 revealed early to mature Harappan phase materials, including pottery and semiprecious beads of lapis lazuli and carnelian. Evidence of metallurgical activities—crucibles, furnace lining, burnt floors, ash, and ore slugs—demonstrates that metal-workers at Khanak used locally mined polymetallic tin and worked with copper and bronze.
Ancient Settlements and Copper Production
The Ganeshwar Sunari Cultural Complex (GSCC) represents a collection of third millennium BCE settlements distributed across the Aravalli Hill Range, primarily in Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, and Sikar districts of Rajasthan. With 385 documented sites, the GSCC constitutes the largest copper-producing community in third millennium BCE South Asia. These settlements, located near copper mines along the Kantli, Sabi, Sota, Dohan, and Bondi rivers, show similarities in material culture and copper tool production. The two main type sites are Ganeshwar and Sunari in Tehsil Kot Putli, Jaipur district.
The Tosham Hills in Haryana contain several Indus Valley Civilisation sites within a copper-bearing zone of Southwest Haryana and Northeast Rajasthan. Grinding stones found at Harappa consist of Delhi quartzite type, red-pink to pinkish grey in color and crisscrossed with haematite and quartz-filled fractures, sourced only from the westernmost outliers of the Aravalli Range near Kaliana and Makanwas villages in Bhiwani district. Pottery from the Aravalli region includes incised ware and reserved slipware, reflecting the cultural practices of these ancient copper-working communities.
Rivers, Climate, and Environmental Variation
Three major river systems originate from the Aravalli Range. The Banas and Sahibi rivers flow as tributaries of the Yamuna, while the Luni River flows into the Rann of Kutch. The Luni, originating in the Pushkar valley near Ajmer, formerly served as a channel of the Saraswati River and its banks contain multiple Indus Valley Civilisation sites including Lothal. The Sabarmati River originates on the western slopes in Udaipur district and flows into the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea. West to northwest flowing rivers drain through the semi-arid Shekhawati region into southern Haryana, with several Ochre Coloured Pottery culture sites identified as late Harappan phase settlements found along their banks.
Climate varies significantly across the range's length. The Northern Aravalli in Delhi and Haryana experiences humid subtropical and hot semi-arid continental climates with very hot summers and relatively cool winters; maximum daytime temperatures during summer range between 40 and 46 degrees Celsius, while winter temperatures range between 1.5 and 4 degrees Celsius. The Central Aravalli in Rajasthan has an arid and dry climate. The Southern Aravalli in Gujarat experiences a tropical wet and dry climate. These climatic variations support distinct ecosystems and influence settlement patterns and agricultural practices across the range.
Aravalli Range at a glance
Questions about Aravalli Range
How old is the Aravalli Range compared to other mountain belts?
The Aravalli Range is India's oldest fold-mountain belt, dating to the Paleoproterozoic era billions of years ago. It is older than most other major mountain belts on Earth. Unlike younger fold mountains such as the Himalayas, which continue rising, the Aravalli has stopped growing higher due to cessation of tectonic uplift and has been significantly worn down by millions of years of weathering.
What minerals are found in the Aravalli Range?
The Aravalli Range contains commercially viable deposits of rock phosphate, lead-zinc-silver ores, serpentinite, talc, pyrophyllite, asbestos, apatite, kyanite, and beryl. Lead and zinc sulfide ores formed approximately 1.8 billion years ago. The Malani Igneous Suite at Jodhpur, the largest igneous suite in India, was declared a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India.
What ancient civilizations used resources from the Aravalli Range?
The Indus Valley Civilisation extracted copper from the Aravalli Range, with evidence dating back to at least the 5th century BCE and possibly to around 4000 BCE during the Sothi-Siswal period. The Ganeshwar Sunari Cultural Complex, comprising 385 third millennium BCE sites, was the largest copper-producing community in South Asia. Ancient settlements at Kalibangan, Kunal, and Khanak obtained copper and worked with bronze and tin from these hills.
Which rivers originate from the Aravalli Range?
Three major river systems originate from the Aravalli Range: the Banas and Sahibi rivers, which flow as tributaries of the Yamuna, and the Luni River, which flows into the Rann of Kutch. The Sabarmati River originates on the western slopes in Udaipur district and flows into the Gulf of Khambhat. These rivers support agriculture and contain numerous archaeological sites.
What is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range?
Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range at 1,722 meters (5,650 feet). Located near the southwestern extremity of the Central Aravalli range close to the Gujarat border, this summit is modest in height but reflects the range's immense geological age and significance to India's ancient crustal structure.
Sources and further reading
This article was written from the reference material below, retrieved and reviewed for source alignment on September 13, 2026. Use official local sources for changing access or travel information.
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Test yourself
Which Asian mountain range is Earth's oldest fold-mountain belt, formed during the Paleoproterozoic era?
The Aravalli Range in India is the world's oldest fold-mountain belt, having formed billions of years ago during the Paleoproterozoic era, making it significantly older than the other options (Hula Valley is a rift valley, Nias Island is volcanic, and Virgin Komi Forests are boreal forests with no ancient mountain-building history).
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