About the department

The Department of Geology, established in 1961, is one among the lead centre for learning Geology and carrying out research in Geology in the State. The major goal of the Department is to foster geological knowledge among the youth and to equip them for professional careers in various fields of Geology. The long term goal is to establish itself as a center of excellence in Geology. The Department offers B.Sc. Geology and M.Sc. Applied Geology programmes besides Ph.D. programme. The foresight of the college management to start the Department, careful nurturing by the founding Professors and the succeeding Professors have transformed the Department into a lead centre for geology learning. The Department is on par with several other lead institutions in terms of infrastructure facilities. The Department’s faculty strength is full with 11 members – all of whom are Ph.D holders with good teaching and research experience. A well designed curriculum which is periodically updated with inputs from experienced subject experts from industries relating to geology and our reputed alumni to impart comprehensive geological knowledge of the students and fetching lucrative job in the field of Geology.

Tracing the history...

Department was started in the year 1961 with B.Sc. Geology programme. Prof. N. Natarajan was the founder Head of the Department. He, with the team of three staff members – Dr. K. Ramamoorthy, Dr. S. Sathyamoorthy and Dr. P.R. Srinivasan, successfully conducted the department for two decades. The Department was elevated to PG level in June 1983. The Department was affiliated for offering M.Phil and Ph.D. progamme in 1995 Dr. K. Anbarasu joined the Department in 1982. In 1984, after the introduction of the PG programmeDr V. Kumar, Dr. R. Baskaran, Sri. S.T. Venkatraman, Dr. V. Subramaniam, Dr. R. SELVARAJ, Sri. S. Sivakumar joined the Department.

The Department of Science and Technology has identified the department for the FIST support. Rs.30,00,000/- has been sanctioned for establishing Instrumentation and Computer Laboratory.

The Department has 86 B.Sc. Students, 28 M.Sc. Students, 3 M.Phil students and 9 Ph.D Scholars. Most of the students come from nearby villages from agrarian communities. Many alumni of the department occupy prestigious positions in Geological Survey of India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Atomic Mineral Division, Central Ground Water Board, Coal India Limited, Department of Geology and Mining (Govt. of Tamilnadu), Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board, Public works Department, various universities, research institutions, private organizations and Government departments.

The Pass percentage is around 70 – 75% for under graduate programme and 100% for post graduate programme. The dropout rate ranges from 1- 2%.

There are 2000 books available in the College library in the Geology section.

Journals subscribed in the Department

• Indian Journal of Earth Sciences
• The Indian Geographical Journal
• Current Science
• Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Earth & Planetary Sciences
• The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Association and Research Centre
• Journal of the Indian Association of Sedimentologists
• The Indian Mineralogist
• Journal of the Geological Society of India
• Bhu-Jal News : CGWB
• Interface : NRSA,
• Memoirs : GSI

There is a Computer Laboratory in the Department established with the support of DST-FIST scheme. Though teachers adopt mainly chalk and talk method, they also use power point presentation frequently. An Interactive Board is also used by the staff members.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Our students are consistently among the top University rank holders
• 16 of our students have been placed in various State Govt. Depts. as GEOLOGISTS since 2016
• Regular admission of students from other States of our country
• Full staff strength; all are Ph. D. qualified
• In top 10 faculty list of our college Dr. S. Venkataramanan ranks first place and Dr.C.Thivya ranks 4th place with highest no. of publications and citations.
• One among the best infrastructure facilities for pursuing Geology programmes
• One among the best geology museum in Tamilnadu
• Very supportive Alumni

PLACEMENT

The Department of Geology is dedicated to enhancing student placement opportunities. It regularly invites successful geology professionals as guest speakers and organizes special programs focused on employment prospects in the field. Additionally, the faculty provides training to help students excel in competitive exams at both the state and national levels. Industry experts and prominent academics who visit the department for seminars and conferences also inform students about current job opportunities in both academic and industrial sectors.

Students Placed in Government sector (Since 2016)

Students appointed in other Organisations / Government Departments (During 2023 – 2024)

Sl. No.	Name of the Department’s Alumni	Photo	Programme(s) Pursued in the Dept. & Register No.	Designation & Dept. / Organization in which he/she is appointed	Year of Appointment
1	Dr. J. Christinal		B,Sc. 2008-11(CB08S 241407) / M.Sc. 2011-13 GYP1105	Asst. Professor, Dept. of Geology, V.O. C College, Tuticorin	2023
2	Mr. Shyam Mishra		B.Sc. (GYUS18041)	Geologist Department of Geology & Mines Government of Bhutan	2023
3	Mr. Tshewang Rinzin		B.Sc. (GYUS18042)	Geologist Druk Green Power Corporation Ltd. Thimpu Bhutan	2023
4	Mr. Sonam Rinzin		B.Sc. (GYUS19043)	Geologist Department of Geology & Mines Government of Bhutan	2023

List of our Students who Pursue their Higher Studies Abroad (During 2023 – 2024)

Sl. No.	Name of the Student and Period of Study	Photo	Pursuing Programme	Institute	Year
1	Mr. A. Amrith Jaffrey		Environmental Land Management (Post Graduate Level)	Sir Stanford Fleming College, Frost Campus, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada	(2020 – 2023)
2	Mr. N. Gokulakannan		Environmental Land Management (Post Graduate Level)	Sir Stanford Fleming College, Frost Campus, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada	(2020 – 2023)

PLACEMENT

Major Research Projects Sanctioned

RESEARCH SCHOLAR

PUBLICATIONS

Recent Publications

1. Jawahar Raj, N., Prabhakaran, A and A. Muthukrishnan (2021). Quantitative stream network analysis for assessing form and hydrological processes of the watersheds of Kolli hills, Tamil Nadu, India, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 14:2646, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08882-7
2. Prabhakaran, A., Jawahar Raj, N., Deneshkumar, V and S. Selvakumar (2019). Groundwater Quality Assessment in Pachamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu, India using GIS and Multivariate Statistical Techniques. Journal of Information and Computational Science, Vol. 9 (11), pp.1257-1270.
3. Sakthivel, R., Jawahar Raj, N., Sivasankar, V., Akhila, P and Kiyoshi Omine (2019). Geospatial Technique Based Approach on Drainage Morphometric Analysis at Kalrayan Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Applied Water Science, V.9(24), pp. 1-18, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-019-0899-7
4. Prabhakaran, A and N. Jawahar Raj (2018). Mapping and Analysis of Tectonic Lineaments of Pachamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Using Geospatial Technology. Geology, Ecology and Landscapes, V.2(2), pp. 81-103, https://doi.org/10.1080/24749508.2018.1452481
5. Jawahar Raj, N and A. Prabhakaran (2018). Lineaments of Kodaikanal-Palani Massif, Southern Granulitic Terrain of Tamil Nadu, India: A Study Using SRTM DEM and LANDSAT Satellite's OLI Sensor's FCC. Geology, Ecology and Landscapes, V.2(3), pp. 188-202, https://doi.org/10.1080/24749508.2018.1452477
6. Prabhakaran, A and N. Jawahar Raj (2018). Drainage morphometric analysis for assessing form and processes of the watersheds of Pachamalai hills and its adjoining, Central Tamil Nadu, India. Applied Water Science, V.8(31), https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-018-0646-5
7. Sethupathi, A. S., Lakshmi Narasimhan, C., Vasanthamohan, V. and Mohan, S. P. (2011) Prioritization of miniwatersheds based on Morphometric Analysis using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques in a drought prone Bargur–Mathur subwatersheds, Ponnaiyar river basin, India, International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences (ISSN 0976–4380), Vol. 02, No.02, pp.403-414.
8. Sethupathi, A. S., Lakshmi Narasimhan, C., Vasanthamohan, V., Mohan, S. P. and Anbazhagan, S. (2010) An Integrated Remote Sensing and GIS based approach for the identification of artificial recharge sites in Bargur–Mathur sub-watersheds, Ponnaiyar basin, India, International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering (ISSN 0974-5904), Vol. 03, No. 02, pp. 188-206. (Indexed in Chemical Abstracts–CAS-USA-Ref .No:172238)
9. Kumar, V, Christinal, J and Selvaraj, S (2020) - “Influence of changes in the substrate characters on the benthic foraminifera from the inner shelf of Gulf of Mannar, off Kayalpattinam, Southeast coast of India” The International journal of analytical and experimental modal analysis Volume XII, Issue II, ISSN NO: 0886-9367.
10. Christinal J, Kumar. V, Selvaraj. S and T. Gangaimani (2021) – “Inner Shelf Environments and Their Impact on the Distribution of Benthic Foraminifera from the Gulf of Mannar, off Kayalpattinam, Southeast Coast of India” Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 396-409.
11. Christinal J, Kumar. V, Selvaraj. S and T. Gangaimani (2021) – “Impact of Estuarine Environments on Benthic Foraminifera – a case study from Tamirabarani River Estuary, Tamilnadu” Journal of Geosciences Research. Vol.6, No. 1, pp 103-112.
12. R. Vijayan, V. Kumar, K. Sivakumar, J. Christinal, S. Selvaraj, T. Gangaimani (2021) – “Influence of Bottom Water Parameters on the Distribution of Benthic Foraminifera from the Gulf of Mannar, Off Tiruchendur, Southeast Coast of India” Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, , Vol. 9, No. 9, pp. 786-794.
13. Vijay Kumar S B and Selvaraj S (2021) - “Petrology and mineral chemistry of the ultramafic rocks in P. Mettupalayam area, Tamilnadu, India with special reference to the occurrence of Cu, Ni, Cr and PGE” Journal of Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 225-236.
14. Sundaramoorthy S, Jawahar Raj N, Selva Raj S, Karpagambal R and Kavinraj M (2022) “Delineation of Ground Water Potential Site by Integrated Geophysical Investigations: A Case Study” International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, Volume 7, Issue 11, ISSN No:-2456-2165.
15. R. Vijayan,, V. Kumar, K. Sivakumar, J. Christinal, S. Selvaraj, T. Gangaimani (2021) Influence of Bottom Water Parameters on the Distribution of Benthic Foraminifera from the Gulf of Mannar, Off Tiruchendur, Southeast Coast of India, Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 2021, Vol. 9, No. 9, 786-794 Kartika goswami, Sivakumar Krishnan, Anbarasu Kumerasan, Senthil Kumar Sadasivam, Pankaj Kumar and Manoj. K. Jaiswal. (2019). Luminescence chronology of fluvial and marine records from subsurface core in Kaveri delta, Tamil Nadu: Implications to sea level fluctuations. Geochronometria. DOI 10.1515/geochr-2015-0112 Shan P. Thomas, Bhavatharini Shanmuganathan, Sivakumar Krishnan, Kartika Goswami, Maha Dev, Manoj Kumar Jaiswal, Anbarasu Kumaresan & Senthil Kumar Sadasivam (2018): Metabarcoding of PalEn DNA as An Efficient Tool to Recover Ancient Bacterial Diversity, Geomicrobiology Journal, DOI:10.1080/01490451.2018.1474507.
16. V. Kumar, T. Gangaimani, K. Sivakumar, S. Jeevanandam, and S. Mohan (2010) Foraminifera from the Gulf of Mannar, Off Tuticorin, Southeast of India: Implications to delineate substrate Characteristics: - Gondwana Geological Magazine. Vol.25(1), pp 23-32 (ISSN 0970261X, UGC J. No. 28031)
17. K. Sivakumar, T. Gangaimani S. Jeevanandam, and V. Kumar (2007) Foraminifera as a Tool for Identifying Marine Pollution and Environmental Modification – A Review: - Asian Journal of Microbiology and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 9 (1), pp. 161-167. (ISSN: 0972-3005, UGC J. No. 8798)
18. V. Kumar, K. Sivakumar, T. Gangaimani and K. J. Anand (2005) Morphological abnormalities of benthic foraminifera from the Palk Bay, off Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu: A tool for environmental monitoring: - Pollution Research. Vol.25 (1), pp. 35-42. (ISSN: 0257-8050, UGC J. No.38090).
19. Nasser Jabraili-Andaryan, Ata Allah Nadiri, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Rahim Barzegar, Venkatramanan Senapathi, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam (2024) Multi-Contamination Groundwater Risk Assessment based on Integrated OSPRC Framework Considering Receptor and Consequence Components, Groundwater for sustainable management, Elsevier, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101321
20. Qiuming Pei, Hu Wang, Inna Safonova, Richard M. Palin, Venkatramanan Senapathi and Bin Lin (2024) Editorial: Sichuan-Tibet traffic corridor: fundamental geological investigations and resource endowment—volume II. Front. Earth Sci. 12:1464476. doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.146447
21. Md. Simul Bhuyan, Mrityunjoy Kunda, Muhammad Abu Bakar, Venkatramanan Senapathi, Sk. Abid Husain, Enam Chowdhury, · Mir Mohammad Ali, · Debasish Pandit (2024). Heavy metal and mineral analysis of cultivated seaweeds from Cox’s Bazar Coast, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh: a human health risk implication, Discover Oceans, Springer, 1:11 | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44289-024-00012-x
22. Aowlad Hossain, Md. Ibrahim Adham, Mehedi Hasan, Mir Mohammad Ali, Md. Abu Bakar Siddique, Venkatramanan Senapathi, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam (2024). Analysis and risk evaluation of soil microplastics in the Rohingya refugee camp area, Bangladesh: A comprehensive study. Regional Studies in Marine Science, Elsevier, 76, 103578, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2024.103578, IF-2.1.
23. Shammi Aktar, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam, Md Yousuf Mia, Jannatun Nahar Jannat, Md Saiful Islam, Md Abu Bakar Siddique, Md Abdullah Al Masud, Abubakr M. Idris, Subodh Chandra Pal, Venkatramanan Senapathi (2024). Assessing metal(loid)s‑Induced long‑term spatiotemporal health risks in Coastal Regions, Bay of Bengal: A chemometric study. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33141-z, IF-5.8.
24. Liwei Wang, Yong Xiao, Hongjie Yang, Yuqing Zhang, Shengbin Wang, Zexue Qi, Jibin Han, Wenxu Hu, Jie Wang, Qichen Hao, Venkatramanan Senapthi (2024). Formation mechanism of high-altitude glacial mineral water in the Kunlun Mountains of Tibetan Plateau: Insights from isotopes and hydrochemistry. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 53, 101789, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101789. IF-4.7.
25. Abdulla Al Masud, Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam, Abdullah Al Mamun, G.M. Monirul Alam, Alireza Arabameri A.B.M. Mainul Bari, Subodh Chandra Pal, Refat Jahan Rakib, Venkatramanan Senapathi, Md Bodrud-Doza, Abubakr M. Idris, Guilherme Malafaia (2024). A new approach from public behavioral attitudes and perceptions towards microplastics: Influencing factors, and policy proposals. Ocean and Coastal Management 253, 107144, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107144. IF-4.6.
26. Jamila Hammami Abidi, Hussam Eldin Elzain, Chidambaram Sabarathinam, Rihem Mejdoub El Fehri, Boutheina Farhat, Abdallah Ben Mammou, Maarten J. Waterloo, Mohamed A. Yassin, Venkatramanan Senapathi (2024) Integrated approach to understand the multiple natural and anthropogenic stresses on intensively irrigated coastal aquifer in the Mediterranean region. Environmental Research 252, 118757, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.118757, IF-8.431.
27. S. Selvam, S. Venkatramanan, S. Chidambaram, M.V. Prasanna (2024). Meso and Microplastic Risk Assessment in Marine Environments, Elsevier, USA, ISBN: 978-0-323-90980-8, https://doi.org/10.1016/C2020-0-02455-2, P. 1- 407.

ALUMINI

The Department of Geology has a strong Alumni Association that connects former students with the department, fostering a dynamic relationship that benefits both current students and the department as a whole. Alumni contribute significantly by serving as resource persons, offering guidance on employment opportunities, and supporting the department’s intellectual and infrastructural development through financial contributions. Regular Alumni Meetings are organized to maintain these connections. Additionally, alumni play an active role in collecting rocks, fossils, and minerals essential for advanced research, further enriching the department’s resources.

Distinguished Alumini

Contribution of Alumni to Our Department

Contribution of Alumni to Our Department

Our Department’s alumnus Wing Commander Mr. M. Jeyakrishnan in one of the six Jaguar fighter jets at the `Fly Past’ – a breathtaking air show at the Republic Day Celebrations of 2024

Wing Commander Mr. M. Jeyakrishnan

(Our Department Alumnus: B.Sc. Geology 2003-2006 batch)