17-942: The Himalayan Expressway is a 27.5 km stretch of highway in India that runs through the Shivaliks at the trijunction of Haryana , Punjab , and Himachal Pradesh . It is part of the Chandigarh–Shimla Expressway which connects Zirakpur in Punjab to Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh. It forms part of National Highway 5 . The stretch runs through 2 km in Zirakpur , Punjab, 21 km in Panchkula , Haryana, and 4.5 km in Parwanoo , Himachal Pradesh. It
34-500: A concave face with large zygomatic arch bones, narrow setting of eyes from each other, smoothness of nasal floor, and central incisor enlargement. However Sivapithecus' "dental characteristics and postcranial skeleton do not confirm this phylogenetic position" say Yaowalak Chaimanee of the Paleontology section of Thailand's Department of Mineral Resources and colleagues, while reporting a find in 2003, so neat affinities are not
51-590: A zone of springs and marshes along the northern edge of the Terai or plains. The Sivalik Hills are well known for fossils of vertebrates, spanning from the Early Miocene , until the Middle Pleistocene , around 18 million to 600,000 years ago. Some of the best known fossils from the hills include Megalochelys atlas , the largest known tortoise to have ever existed, Sivatherium giganteum ,
68-704: Is also home to the Soanian Middle Paleolithic archaeological culture. The Sivalik Hills are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas that stretches over about 2,400 km (1,500 mi) from the Indus River eastwards close to the Brahmaputra River , spanning the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent . It is 10–50 km (6.2–31.1 mi) wide with an average elevation of 1,500–2,000 m (4,900–6,600 ft). Between
85-646: The Miocene , have been found since the 19th century in the Sivalik Hills of the Indian subcontinent as well as in Kutch . Any one of the species in this genus may have been the ancestor to the modern orangutans . Some early discoveries were given the separate names Ramapithecus ( Rama 's Ape) and Bramapithecus ( Brahma 's Ape), and were thought to be possible ancestors of humans. The first incomplete specimens of Sivapithecus were found in northern India in
102-755: The Teesta and Raidāk Rivers in Assam is a gap of about 90 km (56 mi). They are well known for their Neogene and Pleistocene aged vertebrate fossils. Geologically, the Sivalik Hills belong to the Tertiary deposits of the outer Himalayas. They are chiefly composed of sandstone and conglomerate rock formations, which are the solidified detritus of the Himalayas to their north; they are poorly consolidated. The sedimentary rocks comprising
119-524: The orangutan skull and strengthened the theory (previously suggested by others) that Sivapithecus was closely related to orangutans. In 2011, a 10.8 million-year old ( Neogene period) upper jawbone of Sivapithecus was found in Kutch district of Gujarat , India. The find also extended Sivapithecus' southern range in Indian subcontinent significantly. The species can not be identified. Sivapithecus
136-553: The Churia forests differ among different forest management regimes and are highest in protected areas. 27°46′N 82°24′E / 27.767°N 82.400°E / 27.767; 82.400 Sivapithecus Brahmapithecus Ramapithecus Palaeopithecus sivalensis Sivapithecus ( lit. ' Shiva 's Ape ' ) (syn: Ramapithecus) is a genus of extinct apes . Fossil remains of animals now assigned to this genus, dated from 12.2 million years old in
153-439: The cutting of the mountains for highway construction had destabilized the slopes. This Indian road or road transport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sivalik Hills The Sivalik Hills , also known as Churia Hills , are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas . The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva '. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and
170-466: The genus Ramapithecus are now considered by most researchers to belong to one or more species of Sivapithecus . Ramapithecus is no longer regarded as a likely ancestor of humans. In 1982, David Pilbeam published a description of a significant fossil find from Potwar Plateau , Pakistan , formed by a large part of the face and jaw of a Sivapithecus . The partial skull was likely scavenged after death. The specimen (GSP 15000) bore many similarities to
187-540: The hills are believed to be 16–5.2 million years old. They are bounded on the south by a fault system called the Main Frontal Thrust, with steeper slopes on that side. Below this, the coarse alluvial Bhabar zone makes the transition to the nearly level plains. Rainfall, especially during the summer monsoon , percolates into the Bhabar, then is forced to the surface by finer alluvial layers below it in
SECTION 10
#1732787362488204-784: The largest known giraffid , and the ape Sivapithecus . Remains of the Lower - Middle Paleolithic Soanian culture dating to around 500,000 to 125,000 years Before Present were found in the Sivalik region. Contemporary to the Acheulean , the Soanian culture is named after the Soan Valley in the Sivalik Hills of Pakistan . The Soanian archaeological culture is found across Sivalik region in present-day India, Nepal and Pakistan. The carbon stock and carbon sequestration rates of
221-574: The late 19th century. Another find was made in Nepal on the bank of the Tinau River situated in Palpa District ; a western part of the country in 1932. This find was named " Ramapithecus ". The discoverer, G. Edward Lewis, claimed that it was distinct from Sivapithecus , as the jaw was more like a human's than any other fossil ape then known, a claim revived in the 1960s. At that time, it
238-427: The older name must take priority. It is also possible that fossils assigned to Ramapithecus belonged to the female form of Sivapithecus . They were definitely members of the same genus. It is also likely that they were already separate from the common ancestor of chimpanzees , gorillas and humans, which may be represented by the prehistoric great ape Nakalipithecus nakayamai . Siwalik specimens once assigned to
255-552: Was about 1.5 metres (5 ft) in body length, similar in size to a modern orangutan. In most respects, it would have resembled a chimpanzee, but its face was closer to that of an orangutan. The shape of its wrists and general body proportions suggest that it spent a significant amount of its time on the ground, as well as in trees. It had large canine teeth , and heavy molars , suggesting a diet of relatively tough food, such as seeds and savannah grasses. Similarities to orangutans in what are chiefly jaw and partial skull fossils are
272-481: Was believed that the ancestors of humans had diverged from other apes 14 million years ago. Biochemical studies upset this view, suggesting that there was an early split between orangutan ancestors and the common ancestors of chimpanzees , gorillas and humans . Meanwhile, more complete specimens of Ramapithecus were found in 1975 and 1976, which showed that it was less human-like than had been thought. It began to look more and more like Sivapithecus , meaning that
289-451: Was constructed by Jaypee Group . Although the road cuts short the distance between Zirakpur and Parwanoo by only 3 km, but it helps save fuel and cuts time of travel between Delhi and Shimla by 1 hour to 7 hours, by helping commuters bypass the congested towns of Pinjore and Kalka . In August 2023, several sections of the expressway were damaged by landslides and floods during the 2023 North India floods . Geologists argued that
#487512