Geology and Geophysics

Starting in 1952, the department expanded to allied areas of applied geology,  and exploration geophysics. The department recorded commanding achievements through collaborative work with various organisations like ONGC, GSI, OIL, UCIL, DAE etc. The sponsored projects undertaken by the department include crustal evolution and geochronology of Singbhum, central, Rajasthan and southern Indian cratons, experimental petrology, gold and uranium mineralisation, mineral magnetics, Himalayan orogeny and sedimentation, stable isotopes in Phanerozoic climate change, evolution of Ganges delta, hydrology of Bengal basin and coastal aquifers, seismic tomography and deep crustal structure, seismic hazard and microzonation, near surface geophysics, archaeology of eastern India and Indus valley civilisation, planetary investigation of meteorites and mars, and consultancy projects in ground water assessment, river chemistry, seismic hazard and mining geology. The department hosts two DST national facilities of stable isotope and electron probe micoanalysis, and a state of the art non-traditional and radiogenic MC-ICP MS laboratory. Besides, the department hosts a spectrum of modern analytical and field equipment namely,  X-ray diffractometer, Raman laser, FTIR, gas and ion chromatographs, liquid scintillation counter, fluid inclusion stages, magnetic susceptibility Kappa bridge etc. The geophysics laboratory hosts  magneto-telluric, and array of geophysical equipment including gravimeter and resistivity meters, radiation dosimeters, large number of seismometers and a nationally networked broadband seismic observatory. The department has  well equipped engineering geology and remote sensing laboratories. The department has made fundamental contributions in dating oldest rocks in India, Precambrian orogeny and metamorphism, Himalayan evolution and Cenozoic climate change, arsenic pollution in Bengal basin, crustal structure below Himalayas, sesimic microzonation of major cities, geotechnical properties of rocks, coastal geomorphology, theoretical electromagnetics, discovering martian analogues and unravelling the oldest roots of Indus valley civilisation. The faculty members are fellows of national science academies, recipient of national geoscience award, and in editorial boards of prestigeous international journals. Read less