Geology

The Department of Geology was established in 1962-63 with the admission of students to the first year B.Sc. Degree Course in Geology. This was the only college in the entire Malabar area in those days that offered an under- graduate course in Geology. The growth and development of the Department had played a pivotal role in shaping the future of hundreds of geologists of Kasaragod and adjoining districts. The Post-graduate course in M.Sc. Geology was started in 1979 and the Department has already started the Golden Jubilee Celebrations on January 6th 2013, which was inaugurated by Sri. N.A. Nellikunnu, honourable M.L.A of Kasaragod. This is the only college which offers B.Sc. and M.Sc. courses in Geology under Kannur University. It was elevated to a Research Centre in 2005 and since then the Department has been redesignated as Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Geology.

Prof. K.P. Ramachandran Nair was the first Head of the Department, Prof. T.C. Madhava Panicker, Prof. R. Mahadeva Iyer, Prof. S. Mohanakumar, Prof. M. Rama Sarma, Prof. Harimohan Bhattathiri, Prof. P. Krishnan Nair, Prof. G. Gopalakrishnan, Prof. Sri Ram, Prof. V. Gopinathan and Prof. T.P. Surendran Nair were the former HODs and Dr. P.V. Vijayan, Dr. P. Mohammed Rafeekh, Prof. M. Muralidhara, Prof. K.K. Beenukumar, Prof. S.S. Anil Kumar, K. Vishwabharan, Dr. Thamban Meloth, Sri. Ashok Kumar were some of the earlier faculty members of the department. Among these Prof. T.C. Madhava Panicker and Prof. V. Gopinathan have retired as Deputy Director of Collegiate Education. A rare coincidence in the history of the Department is that three BSc and MSc Geology classmates viz. Prof.Sriram, Prof.V.Gopinathan and Dr. P.V.Vijayan were at the helm of affairs of Govt.College as Principal in succession during 2007 , 2008 and 2009 respectively. Several students of this department have served in various organizations/institutions/departments in India and abroad. Many are working as Class 1 officers in the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KCSTE), National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Remote Sensing Utilization Centers, Land Management Departments, Logging Engineers and Geophysicists, Kerala State Ground Water Department, State Department of Mining and Geology and in various Universities and Colleges as faculty members. Majority of the present faculty members are the old students of this department.

Dr. M. Vijayanunni Nambiar, one of the oldest alumnus (1962-1965 batch), was selected to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), later served as District Collector of the then Cannanore district comprising the present Kasaragod district and also served as Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Secretary of Govt. of Kerala. Our rich alumni include Sri. P. Balakrishnan, Sri. A. Raghavan Nambiar, Sri. V. K. K. Kalluraya, Sri. Sreepada Rao, and Sri. K. S. Adiga former Directors of Geological Survey of India; Sri. K.T. Vidyadharan and Sri. P. V. Sukumaran were former Deputy Director General of the Geological Survey of India.

Some of the alumni are presently on prestigious positions in the Central Government, PSU’s and Autonomous Institutions such as Geological Survey of India (Sri. E. Unnikrishnan, Sri. K. Ramachandran, Sri. Abdulla, Sri. K. Gangadharan, etc.), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (Sri. N. Ashok Kumar, Sri. Srinavasa Bhat Padoor, Sri. K. Muralidharan, Sri. Vishwanathan Nambiar, Sri. Uthaman, Sri. K. Gopakumar, etc.), Central Ground Water Board (Sri. M. Najeeb, Sri. K. Kunhambu, Sri. K. Sooryanarayanan, etc.), Indian Space Research Organization (Dr. K. Ganesh Raj), National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (Dr. Thamban Meloth), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (Dr. Balakrishnan), National Institute of Hydrology (Dr. K. Purandara), Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (Dr. K.K. Ramachandran, Dr. K. Kamalaksha, Dr. K. Harinarayana, etc.)

The department has been rendering great service to the people of this region for the last five decades. The field investigations undertaken by the M.Sc. students in connection with their dissertation/ project work helped to collect factual data on the hydrogeological conditions of the region and the environmental degradation as a result of unscientific developmental activities. The need for sustainable development is given due importance in under-graduate as well as and post-graduate curriculum. The department has been actively involved in extension work in connection with the Peoples Planning Programme during the X plan at Panchayath levels. Various awareness programmes are also undertaken from time to time. Short Term Courses, Exhibitions, Refresher Courses for High School and College teachers, National Seminars, etc. were conducted to make the people aware about the need to protect the environment, to stop soil erosion and prevent landslides. As part of its extension activities, the Department is always positive in extending its service by conducting Exhibitions open to university students, Higher Secondary School teachers and School students and donating collection of minerals, rocks and fossils to institutions not only to develop their laboratory but also to make teaching in schools more efficient and student friendly. Queries from the general public and teachers of universities and schools are answered properly regarding rocks and minerals of peculiar type encountered in their area and useful advices and recommendations regarding soil, land and water etc are done free of cost by the Department.

The study tours conducted to different parts of the country have helped considerably in developing the Geology museum with rare collections of rocks, minerals and fossils. The department has undertaken Research Projects funded by STED and DST. Presently there is one UGC Minor Research Project entitled ‘Solid Waste Management in Kasaragod Municipality and Surrounding Panchayaths’ with a fund allocation of 1.90 lakhs. Former Department faculty Dr. M.A. Mohammed Aslam has been nominated as Syndicate Member of Kannur University since Dec 2012. Some of the teachers have presented papers in National and International Seminars.

The Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Geology is one of the prestigious departments of Govt. College Kasaragod. A great number of alumni visit the department regularly and help as Resource Persons whenever Seminars/ Lectures/ Workshops are arranged in the department. The Department has been imparting quality education to the new generation to pave way for budding geologists of the future generation by a team of dedicated teachers by ensuring a student-friendly and calm academic atmosphere in the Department. The results of UGC-CSIR JRF/NET Examination, UPSC Geologists Examinations, and University Examinations within and outside the state during the last several decades have made an indelible impression in the society that the students who passed out from this institution are behind none; for a good percentage of them have secured enviable ranks and good placement. In this context, the faculty of the Department is determined to rededicate ourselves by re-affirming our sincerity and faith in imparting quality education for society in general and the Department in particular.

1.Careers in Geological Survey of India (GSI), Central Groundwater Board (CGWB), Atomic
Mineral Department (AMD), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) as Geologist/Scientist.
2. Careers in State Departments such as Mining and Geology, Groundwater Department and Landuse Board.
3. Careers as Scientist in Central and State research and development organisation in the field of
Hydrological and Hydrogeological research, Atomic Mineral research, Earth Science Studies,
Meteorological research, Ocean research, Polar research, Geophysical research, Geomagnetic
research, Space research, Planetary science and Environmental research etc.
4. Careers in Mineral Exploration and Mining industry.
5. Careers in Geoinformatics.
6. Careers in Meteorology and Atmospheric sciences.
8. Career in Teaching with SET/NET and BEd. As a higher secondary school teacher. With NET/PhD
as Assistant Professor in colleges and Universities.
9. Entrepreneurship opportunities in applied fields such as Ground Water prospecting and
Environmental Impact Assessment.

1. Athira
2. Vidya K M
3. Suraj P R
4. Shyni M (just completed)