About Gilbert Hill:

• It is a 200-foot monolithic column of black basalt rock located at Andheri in Mumbai.
• The rock has a sheer vertical face and was formed when molten lava was squeezed out of the Earth's clefts during the Mesozoic Era about 66 million years ago.
• It was declared a National Park in 1952, while the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation categorised it as a Grade II heritage structure in 2007.
• The 'hill' is only one of three outcrops of volcanic rock worldwide.
• Arguably the oldest heritage site in the country in its original form, Gilbert Hill has a few temples and a small garden atop. These are accessed by a steep staircase carved into the rock.

Key Facts about the Mesozoic Era:

• It is one of the major geologic eras in Earth's history, lasting approximately from 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago.
• It is also known as the "Age of Dinosaurs" because dinosaurs were the dominant land animals during this time.
• The Mesozoic Era was divided into three periods:
• Triassic Period (252 to 201 million years ago):
  • The first dinosaurs appeared during this period, along with other reptiles, such as crocodiles and pterosaurs.
  • The climate was warm and humid.
  • Pangea, the supercontinent, began to break apart.
• Jurassic Period (201 to 145 million years ago):
  • This was the golden age of dinosaurs, with many of the familiar dinosaur species, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops, appearing during this time.
  • The first birds, like Archaeopteryx, emerged.
  • The climate was still warm and humid.
• Cretaceous Period (145 to 66 million years ago):
  • The dinosaurs reached their peak of diversity during this period.
  • The climate became cooler and drier, and the continents continued to break apart. 
  • The period ended with the mass extinction event known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction, likely caused by a combination of factors. This event led to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other species.