Monday, January 16, 2017

About GSI

The Geological Survey of India is formally a subordinate office of the Ministry of Mines, but has considerable operational autonomy due to the scientific nature of its work. The organizational structure of GSI is already substantially oriented to meet the needs of specialization as well as multidisciplinary study. This has been achieved organizationally by creating multi-disciplinary Regional Units with Operational sub-units on the one hand, and through a system of separate specialized ‘Wings’ which interact with the Regional units on the specialized subject matters to the extent necessary.
The Director General as the operational head of the GSI has the overall responsibility of planning and execution of programmes of the organization. The DG, GSI is supported at the Central Headquarters (CHQ) by 8 Dy. Director Generals (DDG), in-charge of Policy & Planning, International Relations & Human Resources, Central Geological Laboratory, Information Technology, Map & Publications, Drilling & Mechanical Engineering, Finance, and Personnel. There are six Regions (geographically based) and four specialized Wings; three; (Coal, Marine and Airborne Mineral Survey and Exploration) for programme execution and one Training Institute. Senior Deputy Director General/Deputy Director General (HAG/SAG level) head each of these Regions/Wings and function as “Head of Department”(HOD) to oversee the formulation and implementation of annual programmes, exercise budgetary control, allocate resources, determine the relative priorities, and effect executive and other controls on Divisions/Projects within the Regions/Wings. Each Region/Wing has a headquarters unit for planning, finance and administration. Operational units at State level, headed by a Deputy Director General, execute the programmes in the field. Significant achievements
• Concerted efforts of GSI over the last five decades had resulted in augmenting the mineral resources position to several folds.
• Breakthrough discovery of high level laterite(bauxite)crusts with gibbsite over large tracts of Orissa & A.P. added 2000 m.t. to the earlier known meagre 345 m.t.
• The reserves of copper ore increased to 512 m.t. through discovery of deposits like Malanjkhand, Rakha deposit of Singhbhum Copper Belt.
• The discovery of basemetal deposits of Kayar-Ghugra, Zawar, Rajpura-Dariba etc. increased India’s reserves from 4.8 m.t. to 500 m.t.
• The Manganese reserves got enhanced to 240 m.t. through discovery of deposits at Sandhur, Bonai, Keonjhar.
• The discovery of Sukinda and Baula chromite enhanced the reserves to 182 m.t.
• The reserves of iron ore has been enhanced to 13,783 m.t.
• With a new understanding of association of gold in volcano sedimentary sequence has helped GSI in discovering several smaller deposits of gold as Chigargunta, Hirabuddini, Chinmalgund etc. in schist belt of Karnataka, thereby increasing the reserves of gold ores from 4 m.t. to 30.5 m.t.
• Search for diamond bearing kimberlite bodies through path finder minerals have led to the discovery of 21 new kimberlite bodies in A.P. and M.P.
• A significant prospect of PGE has been located in Baula-Nausahi ultramafic belt.
• Concept oriented search has led to the discovery of primary molybdenite deposit in Velampatti in Dharmapuri district, Tamilnadu.
Services available
• Expertise for exploration of different minerals.
• Exploration for different mineral from preliminary reconnaissance to detailed exploration.
• From plane table geological mapping to sub-surface exploration by drilling, supported by geophysical and geochemical methods.
• Geological modelling assisted by geophysical surveys and geochemical data.
• Apart from the above compact packages, the following individual inputs are also offered for mineral exploration or related field. (a) Geological inputs - as preparation of ground plan and geological appraisal, core logging.(b) Geophysical inputs including multi-sensor logging. (c) Geochemical inputs. (d) Drilling inputs.
• Study of fossils and its biostratigraphic implication started since inception of GSI.
• Sub-units of Palaeontology Laboratories include Invertebrate, Vertebrate, Micropalaeontology, Palaeobotany and Palynology.
• Other than Central palaeontological Laboratories each region has its laboratory engaged in research work.
• Repository of Indian type fossils covering India as well as adjacent countries like Sind, Baluchistan, Myanmar, Persian Gulf, Salt Range, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Arabia, Bashar, Nepal is located at CHQ, Calcutta, provides scope to study these fossils to researchers of Indian as well as foreign Universities/Institutions.
• Palaeontological Laboratories provided enormous data to build up the Phanerozoic biostratigraphic framework of the Indian geology specially for Himalaya and Gondwana.
Significant Recent Finds :
• Discovery of cyanobacteria in the BHJ of Orissa, pushes back the date of photosynthesis to at least 3.2 Ga.
• Precambrian-Cambrian boundary has been demarcated in the Krol belt of UP & HP. Himalaya on the basis of cyanobacteria, calcareous algae & shelly microfauna and ichnological study.
• The invaluable collection of vertebrate fossils viz. Siwalik mammals and primates.
• Gondwana vertebrates are well known to the researchers worldwide.
• Discovery of the dinosaurian bones from different horizons of Gujarat and A.P. deserves special mention. Dinosaur nests of megallotithed affinity and a possible tract site have been located in the Lameta sediments which ultimately aims to understanding the palaeobiology of the dinosaurs which existed in the late cretaceous of central India.
• Avian Tibio-tarsal have been recorded in the Quaternary vertebrate assemblage of Pampa river basin of south India.
• Discovery of the marine fossils within Gondwana sediments helped in palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Indian sub-continent during Gondwana period.
• Micropalaeontological research dictated to resolve some tectonostratigraphic problems of India, such as, discovery of benthic foraminifera from the lower Siwalik of Raun-Udhampur, J&K indicate the role played by the MBF in neogene marine transgression in Himalaya; radiolaria has been used to resolve the tectonostratigraphic problems of Naga-Andaman ophiolite sequence. Diatoms have been used to resolve stratigraphic problem of Karwa Group in Kashmir Valley.
• Palynological studies have established biozonations of Gondwana and Tertiary sequence of India.
• Besides research work, Laboratory also provide services to the other wings of GSI i.e. Coal and Marine.