Tirumala

Tirumala is located 980 metres (3,200 ft) above sea level and covers an area of approximately 26.8
square kilometres (10.33 sq mi). Surrounding the hills are seven peaks
of Seshachalam range, Eastern Ghats namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri,
Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple of Sri Venkateswara is on the seventh peak
(Venkatadri).
At the 21 km (13 mi) point on the Tirupati – Tirumala Ghat road, there is a major discontinuity
of stratigraphic significance that represents a period of remarkable serenity in the geological history
of the Earth. This is referred to as the Eparchaean Unconformity. This unconformity separates the
Nagari Quartzite of the Proterozoic from the granite of the Archean, representing a time gap of
800 Mya. In 2001, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared the Eparchaean Unconformity to be
one of the 26 "Geological Monuments of India".

Silathoranam (natural arch) at Tirumala Hills, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Silathoranam, a natural arch and a distinctive geological wonder is located in Tirumala Hills at a

distance of 1 km (0.62 mi) from Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The arch measures 8 m (26 ft) in
width and 3 m (9.8 ft) metres in height and is eroded out of quartizite of Cuddapah Supergroup of
Middle to Upper Proterozoic (1600 to 570 Mya) by weathering agents such as water and wind.

Climate

Deer park near Alipiri Mettu

Tirumala has a tropical wet and dry climate designated Aw under the Köppen climate classification.
As the hill shrine is situated amidst the hills, the temperature will go below 10 degrees in winter.
Summers are not as hot here, especially compared to Tirupati. The southwest monsoon season
starts from June, but rains are not heavy. Occasionally, thunderstorms form and downpours may
persist for hours. Pertaining to orographic relief, the northeast monsoon remains active over the
region for 2 months. It causes flooding. The highest 24-hour rainfall on record was 459 mm (18.1 in)
on 23 November 2005, followed by 307 mm (12.1 in) on 9 November 2015.