"The University of Calcutta thankfully acknowledges Petroleum Experts Ltd. (PETEX) for donating 10 licenses of the MOVE software suite for teaching and research purposes. The equivalent commercial value of the donation is £1,744,550.46."
Year of Establishment : 1916
History of the department : Established in the year 1916, the Department of Geology, University of Calcutta has set a standard in teaching and research in Geology. The Department has introduced the current curriculum (M.Sc. in Applied Geology) in 2005, and takes great satisfaction that the syllabus suggested by the UGC afterwards has similar emphasis. However, we are now again reviewing the existing curriculum to make it more comprehensive.
The Department has included the interdisciplinary subjects like Remote Sensing and GIS, Environmental Geology, Hydrogeology, Geology of Coal and Petroleum, Basin analysis, Geomathematics, Mineral resources and management, Mineral Exploration and Geotechnical Engineering, etc. An attempt has been made to maintain a balance between the fundamental disciplines and the newer branches to equip the students with the necessary skills to match the newer, more stringent requirements of the academia and the highly competitive job-market.
Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, conducted a survey to evaluate India’s research performance, through time and in comparison with other nations, overall and for subject areas relevant to science and technology. The report has been published as “International Comparative Performance of India’s Research Base (2009-14)” (commissioned to Elsevier by DST). In that report DST has ranked top 30 institutes of India based on different parameters. All the members of Dept. of Geology, CU would be proud to know that University of Calcutta has been ranked number one in the category “Subject area and overall publication-count-to-active-researcher ratio” [ratios of publications divided by number of active researchers or number of publications per active researcher] in the Earth and Planetary Sciences subject area category. The ratio was 7.9 in between 2009-2013 and it got increased to 8.1 in between 2009-2014.
The Department also hosts the age-old The Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India (GMMSI), the mouth piece of the society is the Quarterly Journal of the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India (later renamed as Indian Journal of Geology) which publishes scientific research papers in several domains of Earth Sciences.
Dr. E.W. Vredenburg of G.S.I. was the first professor, K.K. SENGUPTA was the first Indian teacher
Special award/ recognition from UGC or related statutory body: 1
| Name | Designation | Area of specialisation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Siddhartha Sengupta [Profile] |
Associate Professor and HoD | Paleontology | [email protected] |
| Dr. Bapi Goswami [Profile] |
Associate Professor | Metamorphic Petrology | [email protected] |
| Dr. Rajib Kar [Profile] |
Associate Professor | Metamorphic Petrology | [email protected] |
| Dr. Biswajit Ghosh [Profile] |
Associate Professor | Igneous Petrology, Mineralogy | [email protected] [email protected] |
| Dr. Ishita Das [Profile] |
Assistant Professor | Paleontology | [email protected] |
| Bithika Das [Profile] |
Assistant Professor | Sedimentology | [email protected] |
| Dr. Subhajit Sinha [Profile] |
Assistant Professor | Sedimentology | [email protected] |
| Sonu Hansda [Profile] |
Assistant Professor | Remote Sensing | [email protected] |
| Dr. Dip Ghosh [Profile] |
INSPIRE Faculty | Structural Geology, Geodynamics | [email protected] |
Visiting faculty members
| Name | Institutions attached with | Period of appointment |
|---|---|---|
| Pradip Sikder | Professor IISWBM | 2005 - continuing |
| Programme | Level of study | Eligibility | Intake capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Sc. in Applied Geology | M.Sc. | B.Sc.(Hons. In Geology) | 33+33 |
| Ph.D. in Geology | Ph.D. | M.Sc. in Geology/Applied Geology/M.Sc. Tech | 20 /year |
| Name | Research topic | Name of the supervisor | Date of registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankita Basak | Petrogenesis of Alkaline rocks | Bapi Goswami | 2016 |
| Debaleena Sarkar | Igneous petrology, Geochemistry, Geochronology | Jyotisankar Ray | 2015 |
| Hindolita Chakraborty | Ecology and Paleoecology | Bapi Goswami, Subhronil Mondal | 2016 |
| Moumita Chowdhury | Igneous Petrology, Geochemistry and Experimental Petrology | Jyotisankar Ray | 2016 |
| Poulami Roy | Metamorphic and Igneous evolution of CGC | Bapi Goswami | 2016 |
| AsimaKar | Petrology and Geochemistry of Simlipal Complex | Jyotisankar Ray | 2016 |
| Subhodeep Mazumder | Metamorphic Petrology | Rajib Kar | 2018 |
| Sankhadeep Roy | Ophiolite Complex of Arunachal Pradesh | Biswajit Ghosh | 2019 |
| Archisman Dhar | Lower crustal rocks recovered from Southwest Indian Ridge | Biswajit Ghosh | 2019 |
| ManojitKoley | Koraput Alkaline Complex | Biswajit Ghosh | 2019 |
| Sachin Kumar Tripathi | Volcanic rocks recovered from Andaman Sea | Biswajit Ghosh | 2021 |
| Soumyadip Banerjee | Glacio-fluvial landscape ofthe Tista RiverSystem | Subhajit Sinha | 2022 |
| Project title | Funding agency | Principal investigator | Duration | Budget (Rs.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship between magmatic processes and tectonic deformation in the Bundelkhand Craton in and around Jhansi-Mau Ranipore-Karera area, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. | CSIR | Abdul Matin | ||
| Petrotectonic Style of Manipur Ophiolite Belt,North Eastern India. | DST | Jyotisankar Ray | 2012-2016 | 19.20 lakhs |
| Geological and Geochemical Investigations of Precambrian Mafic magmatism of Singhbhum Craton, Eastern India: Implication on Mantle Processes | DST | Jyotisankar Ray (jointly with Dr. C. Manikyamba, CSIR- NGRI, Hyderabad) |
2013-2016 | 15.00 Lakhs |
| Desertification Status Mapping of India- 2nd Cycle sponsored by SAC- ISRO, Ahmadabad, Government of India, | SAC-ISRO, Ahmedabad | Jyotisankar Ray | 2013-2016 | 9.05 Lakhs |
| Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical studies of Precambrian alkaline suite of rocks from North Purulia Shear Zone, Eastern Indian shield: Implication for tectonomagmatic evolution and REE metallogeny. | DST | Bapi Goswami | 2014-present | |
| Tectonothermal History of the Chhotanagpur Gneissic Complex and Evolution of the Granitoid Rocks. | UGC | Bapi Goswami | 2015-present | |
| Lithostructural and Petrological evolution of the north-eastern part of NFB, specially around the intersection junction of the Rudravaram thrust and Venikona thrust, Palnad sub-basin and its surrounding areas, AP. | BRNS | Bapi Goswami | 2016-present | |
| Unravelling the ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal system from seawater to hydrothermal fluids by petrological and geochemical studies on Andaman ophiolite, India | JSPS | Biswajit Ghosh | ||
| Metamorphism of high grade rocks of Eastern Ghats, Belt, Eastern India | India (DST)–Brazil Inter-Govt. co-operation | Rajib Kar | 2013-2016. | |
| Kinematic transitions at the plate contact deformations during the Himalaya-Tibet collision. | SERB, DST | Santanu Bose | ||
| Detailed documentation of drilling and shell-breaking predation on molluscan community along the Indian coasts. | DST | Subhronil Mondal | 2016-2019 | 9,48,000. |
Collaborations :
| Title of the programme | Principal collaborator of the department | Name and address of the collaborating institution | Principal collaborator of the collaborating institution | Duration of the programme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Jyotisankar Ray | NGRI, Hyderabad | Dr. C. Manikyamba | 2012-2017 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Jyotisankar Ray | University of Vienna | Dr. C. Christian | 2009-2019 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Jyotisankar Ray | GSI, India | Director (CPL) | 2012-2016 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Jyotisankar Ray | NCSU, USA | Dr. M. Bizmis | 2015-2018 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Jyotisankar Ray | CUG, China | Dr. M. Santosh | 2015-2018 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Tapas Bhattacharyya | ISI, Kolkata | Dr. D. Saha | 2014-2019 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Abdul Matin | IIT Bombay | Dr. M. Mukul | 2007-2017 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Santanu Bose | University of Lisbon, Portugal | Dr. O.M. Fernando | 2007-2017 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Santanu Bose | Jadavpur University, India | Dr. N. Mandal | 2007-2017 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Biswajit Ghosh | Kanajawa University, Japan | Dr. T.Morishita | 2012-2018 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Bapi Goswami | University of Pretoria, South Africa | Prof.Eriksson, Patrick G., | 2012-2018 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Subhronil Mondal | ISI, Kolkata | Dr. S.S. Das | 2016-present |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Subhronil Mondal | Jadavpur University, India | Dr. S. Bardhan | 2016-present |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Rajib Kar | University of Sao Paulo, Brazil | Prof. Wilson Teixeira | 2013-2016 |
| Research Collaboration | Dr. Rajib Kar | ISI, Kolkata | Dr. S. Bhattacharya | 2013-2016 |
Teaching support :
Research support :
| Name of the equipment | Brief description | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|
| Image Analyzer | Petrological and paleontological specimens/samples analyses and photographing | UGC |
| SEM | High resolution electron imaging and analysis of geological structures | DST-FIST |
| Automated Thin Section cutter | Cutting, lapping, and polishing of geological samples | DST-FIST |
| Abacus | for experimental structural modeling | DST-PURSE |
| One atmosphere high temperature Si-carbide furnace with controlled oxygen fugacity | For bracketing crystallization temperatures of magmatic minerals and understanding petrogenesis of igneous rocks | DST-PURSE |
| High Resolution Sieve Shaker | Sedimentological sample preparation and analysis | UGC |
| Flame photometer and colorimeter | Element determination of rock and mineral samples | UGC |
The students are encouraged to learn lessons in different subjects through digital processes in the classrooms.The students need to participate compulsorily (as part of the present M.Sc. Applied Geology curriculum) in seminar presentation to deliberate their ideas on different challenging and emerging topics of Geological Sciences. This paves their ways for future career, The students after completion of their course, are placed for employment in different reputed national and international mineral and oil industries through campus- interviews. Some of the industries/ houses where our students were placed include Electrosteel, Somica- Aurum, Lafarage, Weatherford, Joy Balaji, Adhunik, Jindal Steel , Hindusthan Zinc, MSPL, Emami and many others. All the students enthusiastically participate as back-bones when this Department organizes national seminars/ workshops, During seminars/ workshops, they (students) are also exposed to different challenging ideas; they also present their Master’s level- research findings in those seminars/workshops.
Links :
Additional information : The students (during the end of their second semester examination) are sent to reputed industries of the country as a part of their compulsory summer training program. where the students get hands- on training to know techniques involved in mineral and oil- exploration. Some reputed organizations (where the students were sent in recent years) are ONGC, SAIL, Coal India, UCIL, Rio-Tinto, Tata Steel, GAIL and so on. It is a regular affair that faculty members of the Geology Dept, CU visit national and international Universities/ Institutions to exchange their scientific views and findings. Some of these are University of Lisbon, Kanajawa University, Monash University, University of Vienna etc. Faculty- members do participate in several international / national scientific assemblies like AGU, AOGS, IODP very often to present their scientific ideas. The present M.Sc. (Applied Geology) syllabus has been revised very recently in order to incorporate modern developments in different branches of Geology. Departmental library of CU Geology contains numerous valuable book and journals and also houses question papers of all previous years and students have easy access to those.
Campus : Tarak Nath Palit Trust Prangan (Ballygange Campus)
Address for communication : Department of Geology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata - 700019, West Bengal, India
