SERI ISKANDAR: The Geological Rock Garden (GRG) of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), known as UTP GRG and touted as the largest geological rock garden in Malaysia, was officially opened today (January 11).
The opening ceremony of UTP GRG was officiated by Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, who witnessed the GRG being recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records as The Largest Outdoor Geological Rock Garden in Malaysia.
The certificate of recognition was presented by MBOR officer Siti Hajar Johor to UTP Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib.
UTP GRG covers an area of 44,550 square metres with a 1.18-kilometre-long trail covering five geological themes, spanning 540 million years to the present around the UTP lake.
In his speech, Saarani said that today's event is significant as a manifestation of UTP and the government's efforts to improve access to higher education besides promoting edu-tourism to the public, especially for those residing in Perak.
Saarani said that suited the ongoing Visit Perak Year 2024 campaign, the opening of GRG is expected to add value to UTP, in line with the concept offered, namely 'Recovery and Conservation Tourism.'
"The GRG, open to the public, is expected to play a significant role as an experiential learning place, not only for students but also for the general public," he said.
At today's event, Saarani also launched four UTP publications related to geology, namely UTP Geological Rock Garden: Malaysia's Geological Rock Treasures; Immersive Reality Book: Earth Fossil Explorer; Immersive Reality Book: Rocks and Minerals, and Petrographic Atlas of Miocene Carbonates, Central Luconia, Sarawak.
Meanwhile in his speech, Mohamed Ibrahim said that there are 27 types of rocks in the GRG representing Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks obtained from various locations throughout Malaysia.
"We are also proud to showcase a rare type of rock, such as the meteorite impact rock known as suevite, which is over 1.85 million years old and obtained from the Lenggong Valley.
"In addition to the geological park, there is also virtual reality digital data to facilitate users in learning about the rocks exhibited in the GRG. Completing this exhibition are life-size replicas of dinosaurs and primitive mammals, offering visitors an interesting and realistic experience," he said. — Bernama