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About us

The Department of Earth Sciences (formerly the Department of Geology and Geophysics) is one of the leading departments in the country engaged in high quality teaching, research and consultancy in the field of Earth Sciences. It was established in year 1960. During the span of about five decades, the department has become one of the foremost centres of teaching, research and consultancy.

The main strength of the department is amalgamation of two major divisions of Earth Sciences: Geology and Geophysics under one umbrella. During last five decades, department has produced large number of trained Earth Scientists who are the backbone of the Country's mineral, oil & gas, groundwater resources and other exploration industries. The pioneer research contributions in different discipline of applied Geology and Geophysics have been recognized through awards and laurels conferred on many faculty members, and generous funds received from the various funding agencies. The department has been recipient of financial aid under the prestigious Special Assistance and COSIST programmes of UGC (Ministry of Human Resources and Development, Govt. of India).

The geological studies in the Institute (formerly University of Roorkee) date back to the middle of the last century when Colonel Sir Proby Cautley (who was responsible for establishing the Thomason College of Engineering) was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, London, for his pioneering work on the vertebrate fossils of the nearby Shivalik Ranges. Later, Henry Benedict Medlicot, who was also admitted as the Fellow of the Royal Society in 1877, occupied the Chair in Geology and Experimental Sciences at Thomason College of Engineering, Roorkee.

Presently, the department is running two five year Integrated M.Tech. programmes on Geological Technology and Geophysical Technology. In these two programmes (started from 2007) admissions are made through JEE. These two M.Tech programmes have replaced our earlier three year M.Tech programmes in Applied Geology and Applied Geophysics. In addition to the above two courses, department also runs M.Sc. (Applied Geology) of two years duration admissions are made through JAM.

Research work leading to PhD degree in several interdisciplinary areas and consultancy programmes constitute an integral part of the departmental activities. The faculty is engaged in a number of research projects sponsored by the Govt. of India agencies like CSIR, DST, MoES, MHRD, ONGC, AICTE etc, and the consultancy projects sponsored by various industries and government agencies.

The department has a very active Hamrock Society in which all faculty and students are members. The Hamrock Society organizes different programmes and extracurricular activities throughout the year.

(updated on 01 May 2009)