JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.83, JAN. 2014

24th Indian Colloquium on Micropaleontology & Stratigraphy, Wadia Institute of HimalayanGeology, Dehradun - 248 001. Kishor Kumar, Convener, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology(Email: kumark@wihg.res.in)

IntroductionThe 24th Indian Colloquium on Micro-

paleontology & Stratigraphy (ICMS) wasorganized by Kishor Kumar at the WadiaInstitute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) inDehradun.

ICMS provides a common platform forscientists and students from both Academiaand Industry to share and propagate thelatest findings and developments in thefields of micropaleontology and strati-graphy. Contemporary issues like climatechange—major concern for the scientistsaround the globe—are deftly handled byMicropaleontologists and Stratigraphers bytaking lead in understanding the past

climatic changes that are pertinent indiscerning the anthropogenic impact overnatural climate variability. Newer lines ofresearch with latest technology and fusionof geochemical and climatic proxies likeDendro-climatology and Speleothems aregiving new dimensions to this forum.However, microfossils still remain in focus.The XXIV ICMS at WIHG, Dehradundeliberated on a wide range of topics acrossthe disciplines bringing the academia andindustry together and benefitting both.

The inaugural function was held in themorning on the first day of the colloquium,and the first two scientific sessions beganjust before noon and evening. The

remaining six scientific sessions were heldover the second and third day, with avaledictory session wrapping up thecolloquium in the evening of the third andfinal colloquium day, November 20, 2013.

Inaugural FunctionThe 24th ICMS was inaugurated by its

General President S.K. Shah (JammuUniversity). Other dignitaries present on thedais during the inaugural function wereGuests of Honour S.C.D. Sah; FormerDirector, WIHG, S.B. Bhatia; Former HeadDept. of Geology, Panjab University, M.P.Singh; Former Head Dept. of Geology,Lucknow University, A. Govindan;

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.83, JAN. 2014

112 NEWS AND NOTES

Formerly at ONGC, Rajiv Nigam ChiefScientist NIO; Chairman of the OrganizingCommittee Anil K. Gupta Director, WIHGand Convener of the XXIV ICMS KishorKumar Scientist, WIHG. More than 200delegates including 85 research scholarswere registered for the colloquium.

The opening speech of the InauguralFunction was delivered by Anil K. Gupta,Chairman of the Organizing Committee andDirector WIHG, who welcomed theparticipants to Dehradun and the WadiaInstitute. Guests of Honour S.C.D. Sah, S.B.Bhatia, A. Govindan and M.P. Singh wereinvited for brief speeches in conjunctionwith the ICMS. S.B. Bhatia said that this isthe last ICMS he is attending. Rajiv Nigam,a virtual leader of the ICMS movement alsogave his remarks. N. Malarkodi Convenerof the 23rd ICMS presented the ProceedingsVolume of the 23rd ICMS for release by thechief guest S.K. Shah. Following this, S.K.Shah was invited to deliver his PresidentialAddress, which dealt with the history andgrowth of Paleontological studies in India.At the end of the Inaugural Function, theConvener of the 24th ICMS Kishor Kumarproposed the vote of thanks.

The Abstract Volume contains 214

abstracts received for the colloquium. Thecolloquium featured 85 oral presentationsincluding 14 keynote addresses in eighttechnical sessions all held at AnjaneyaAuditorium of WIHG. In addition, 96presentations were made through postersproviding an opportunity to interactinformally with the contributors duringdedicated poster sessions and extended tea/coffee breaks. Participants from over 50university/college departments, researchinstitutions and corporate sector across Indiaattended the colloquium and presented theirresearch findings.

Session 1. Evolution of terrestrial andmarine biota manifested in geologicalrecords

From management point, this sessionwas split into sub-sessions 1A and 1B. Thefirst scientific session (1A) was chaired byN. Malarkodi (Bangalore University), whoalso gave the first keynote presentation ofthe session on the topic ‘What caused theEnd-Cretaceous mass Extinction: Evidencefrom Chicxulub & Deccan Volcanism.There were seven other presentations in thissub-session starting with one on Survivalof Thecamoebians in geological past by

Anjum Farooqui (BSIP) and ending withthe one by Tabita Symphonia (PondicherryUniversity) on distribution and ecology ofRecent Foraminifera off Pondicherry &Cuddalore.

Session 1B was chaired by Dr RahulGarg (formerly at BSIP) and second keynotepresentation of the day was given byVandana Prasad (BSIP) on the topic‘Changing pattern of depositional regimeduring early Palaeogene in Khasi HillsMeghalaya: A consequence of extremeglobal warming event at low latitude’. Fiveother presentations dealt with varied biotaranging from Nannofossils from westernIndia, gastropods, scaphopods andmyliobatid and pycnodontid fish remainsfrom Infra and Intertrappean beds toichnofossils from Tertiary succession ofAndman Islands.

Session 2. Micropaleontology andstratigraphy with special referenceto Himalaya

The second scientific session waschaired by Syed A. Jafar (Bangalore), whodelivered the first keynote lecture of thesession dealing with calcareous nannossils.This session included another two keynote

JOUR.GEOL.SOC.INDIA, VOL.83, JAN. 2014

NEWS AND NOTES 113

lectures one by Rahul Garg (Formerly atBSIP), who spoke about the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary in Meghalaya and theother by Sanghmitra Ray (IIT Kharagpur)on Continental Triassic biochronology. Thesession ended with a presentation onMicrofacies analysis of the early and middleEocene beds of the Subathu Formation byS.B. Bhatia.

Session 3. Potential of microfossils inhydrocarbon exploration

The third session was chaired by M.Shanmukhappa (KDMIPE-ONGC), whowas also the lead speaker of the session anddelivered a keynote presentation on Highimpact palynological techniques and casestudies in oil sector. There were six otherpresentations in this session including onedealing with paleopalynology and itsapplications in hydrocarbon exploration andfive others dealing with biostratigraphy ofshallow to deep water wells from east coast,Krishna-Godavari, Mahanadi and Andmanbasins by the scientists from KDMIPE-ONGC.

Session 4. Recent advances inmicropaleontology

Due to large number of papers receivedon this theme, this session was split into sub-sessions 4A, 4B and 4C. Sub-session 4Awas chaired by S.P. Mohan (MadrasUniversity), who also delivered the keynotepresentation entitled ‘Recent Foraminifera,Geochemistry and Sedimentology of theinner shelf sediments off Nagapattinam,Tamil Nadu, southeast coast of India’. Thesub-session included six other presentationsrelated to Foraminiferea, recent and fossilsand benthic as well as planktic and one onphytoliths.

Sub-session 4B was chaired by AGovindan (formerly at ONGC, Chennai).His keynote lecture was devoted toAgglutinated deep water benthic foramini-fera of Upper Cretaceous and early Paleo-gene sediments of Cauvery basin. Of thenine other presentations in this sub-session,five were devoted to Recent Ostracoda.

Sub-session 4C was chaired by S.M.Hussain (Madras University), who in hiskeynote presentation gave an overview ofdistribution of Recent Ostracoda along thecoast of Tamil Nadu discussing biodiversity,

biogeography siltation and microenviro-nmental implications. Three otherpresentation of this session also dealt withdistribution of Recent Ostracoda in Bay ofBengal, Villupuram (Tamil Nadu) andBengaluru. The last presentation of this sub-session was on a siliceous Haptophyte fromthe Southern Indian Ocean.

Session 5. Earliest life records in IndiaThis rather short last session of day 2

was chaired by Meera Tiwari (WIHG). Thekeynote presentation entitled ‘LowerPalaeozoic Biostratigraphy in thenorthwestern Tethyan Himalayan region’was given by S.K. Parcha (WIHG). Otherpresentations in the session included one onsponge –like fossils from early EdiacaranMahi Formation by A.S. Rathore and theother by V.C. Tewari on Microbe-sedimentinteraction and development of microbialbuild ups.

Session 6. Tree rings, speleothems,lacustrine, fluvial & biotic recordsas proxies for past climate

Sub-session 6A (day 3), chaired by R.R.Yadav (BSIP), was devoted to Tree rings,speleothems, lacustrine, fluvial and bioticrecords as proxies for past climate. Thekeynote presentation entitled ‘Tree rings,climate change and social implications incontext of the Western Himalaya’ was givenby the Chairman of the session There werenine other presentations in the sub-session,which ended with a talk by MilankumarSharma on microverterbates (PanjabUniversity) from Miocene Baripada beds.

Sub-session 6B (day 3), chaired bySudhir Shukla (KDMIPE-ONGC) startedwith a keynote lecture ‘Fossil mammals asancient monsoon indicators’ by RajeevPatnaik (Panjab University). There wereseven other presentations in the sub-session,starting with the one by Rajani Panchang(ARI) on current environmental status of theVasishthi estuary and ending with a talk byN.K. Meena (WIHG) on discrimination ofAeolian dust from fluvio-glacial sedimentsin Chorabari Glacier.

Session 7. Stratigraphy of IndianProterozoic basins with emphasison Vindhyan Supergroup

This session was chaired by Mukund

Sharma (BSIP), who also delivered thekeynote lecture entitled ‘Carbonaceousmega-remains from the Proterozoic Eon: Aproxy to understand evolutionary steps andevents in the early biosphere’. Other fivepresentations of the session dealt withDhandraul Quartzite, Rewa Sandstone,Chitrakut Formation, Sonia Sandstone andSalkhan Limestone. The session ended witha talk on enigmatic megascopic beddingplane structures on the Ediacaran SoniaSandstone of Rajasthan by S.K. Pandey(BSIP).

Session 8. Cenozoic Paleoceanographicchanges: link between Indian Oceanand Himalayan records

The last technical session of the 24th

ICMS was chaired by Devesh K. Sinha(Delhi University), who in his keynotespoke about application of graphiccorrelation method to Neogene plankticforaminiferal biostratigraphy and itsimplications in paleoceanography. Therewere six other presentations in this session,most which dealt with paleoceanographicchanges in different oceans and seas.

The valedictory session was chaired byS.K. Shah, President of the XXIV ICMS.Anil K. Gupta, Director WIHG, convenersof past colloquia Rajeev Nigam (NIO) andDevesh K. Sinha (DU) and the currentconvener Kishor Kumar (WIHG) were alsopresent on the Dais. S.K. Shah began thesession with opening remarks acknowledg-ing the increased participation especiallyof the super seniors and youngsters. Hesummarized the importance of holding suchcolloquia and talked about the variety oftopics covered and the quality ofpresentations in this colloquium.

After S.K. Shah’s address, Anil K.Gupta, Chairman Organizing Committeegave his remarks. Rajiv Nigam in hisremarks lauded the presence of so manyyoungsters and research scholars in thecolloquium. Rajiv Nigam specificallydiscouraged any moves to register the ICMSas a separate body and stressed that the factthat until now 24 colloquia have beenorganized at different venues without anyfuss is testimony enough to suggest that theevent can be held successfully without thebacking/ support of a registered body. This

114 NEWS AND NOTES

viewpoint was supported by all others sittingon the dais. Devesh K. Sinha appreciatedthe overall organization of the event andcongratulated the local organizingcommittee and the host Institution for thesame.

The names of 10 best student posterpresenters were announced. The winningposters were selected by a committee ofdelegates and the recipients were givenaway certificates and life time subscriptionof ‘Himalayan Geology’, a biannualresearch journal of the Wadia Institute ofHimalayan Geology. The recipients wereHarshita Joshi & A. Yuvaraja (WIHG),Bandana Dimri & Suman Sarkar (BSIP),Nancy Virmani (Panjab University),Gagnesh Upadhyay (Aligarh MuslimUniversity), Sanjib Biswas (ISM), P.Sathiyamoorthy (Madras University),Pragya Pandey (IIT Roorkee), and SujayBandypadhyay (Burdwan University).

The floor was now opened for commentsor ideas from the colloquium participants.Several participants, including Jyotsana Rai,Sudhir Shukla, Rahul Garg, Rajeev Saraswat,and Suman Sarkar gave their reactions/comments.

After the open discussion and commentsby the participants, S.K. Shah broke the muchawaited news on the next colloquium to beheld in the year 2015. The XXV ICMS willbe hosted by the Department of Geology,Government Institute of Science (GIS),Aurangabad, and M.P. Singh (LucknowUniversity), K.M. Wanjarwadkar (GIS) andM.A. Sonar (GIS) will be the President,Convener and Co-Convener, respectively.Following this announcement, K.M.Wanjarwadkar and M.A. Sonar werecongratulated and invited on the dais to talka little about the venue of the XXV ICMS.Both the conveners assured the participantsthat their Institute is well equipped to host

the next colloquium and that they will dotheir best to provide good hospitality toall the participants.

In the end Kishor Kumar, Convenerinformed the participants about the planto publish selected papers presented duringthe colloquium in a special volume andinvited them to contribute to it. Further hesaid that the manuscripts have to beorganized as per the format of ‘HimalayanGeology’ and submitted to him by 30th

March, 2014. All the submitted manuscriptwill be subjected to a review process. It isexpected that the volume would be readyby the end of 2014 or in early 2015. Finally,he concluded the session with a sincerethanks to the chairman of the concludingsession, all the Keynote Speakers, SessionChairs, Rapporteurs, participants, invitedguests, sponsors and media. He alsoexpressed his gratitude to the co-conveners and organizing team members.