Seismics

CSIR-NGRI was the first organization in the country to launch deep seismic sounding (DSS) studies in the year 1972 within the framework of an Indo-Soviet collaborative program. The Dharwar schist belt to the west and the Cudappah basin to the east defined the first DSS profile of over 600 km. This epoch making profile provided the thickness of crust, geometry of deep penetrating faults/fracture zones and Moho configuration and the subcrustal architecture of Dharwar greenstone belts. Important conclusions such as formation of Cuddapah basin due to down faulting of Moho boundary emerged enriching our understanding of crustal evolution of south India. By the end of 1980, several hundred kilometers of DSS profiles were shot bringing out many significant details of the Indian continental crust: (i) Delineation of thick Deccan traps under the sedimentary cover in Cambay basin, (ii) Delineation of large thickness of Mesozoic sediments, possibly petroliferous, under Deccan traps in Anklesvar area, (iii) Identification of thick layer of Gondwana sediments, possibly containing coal under the Deccan traps in Khandwa region.

Since then the expertise in controlled source seismic research has grown by several folds in the Institute, encompassing data acquisition and analyses in marine environments, complex crustal configurations and shallow crustal investigations for mineral exploration and geotechnical applications. R&D in Seismics continue to be a mainstay of frontier research both for basic and applied sciences.