428 NEWS AND NOTES bathymetry and biology, Antarctic boundary poster depicting new Methodology to Roseline Mary Cutting made an oral layer, Antarctic microbial system, Antarctic improve DEM of Larsemann Hill area of presentation on “Aerosol size variation and astronomy, mapping Antarctica (ADMAP, Antarctica where new Indian Station trace gas measurement in coastal Antarctica BEDMAP etc), climate change, geodesy and ‘Bharati’ is coming up. and at two Indian stations” several others. Manoj presented a paper titled Neelu Singh presented a poster entitled Dr. N.C. Pant presented a talk on “Environmental magnetic records of “Assessment of Dissolved Mercury in Lakes “Petrologic and age constraints from lithogenic input to the Indian sector of of Schirmacher Oasis and Larsemann granulites of central Dronning Maud Land, Southern Ocean and its climatic linkages”. Hills”. The poster evoked keep interest from East Antarctica- implications for extension The poster presented several key discussions viewers who wanted to know the role of of east African orogeny in Antarctica.” on IRD, Stable isotope, Magnetic, Geo- mercury as global pollutant and its impact Sridhar Jawak, NCAOR presented a chemistry proxies from the Sector. on Antarctica.

Course on Non-Linear Dynamics and its Applications in Earth Sciences

The five-day course on non-linear showed examples of several earthquake Dr. Ravi Srivastava introduced basic dynamics and its applications in earth studies in terms of b-value, p-value and concepts of scaling and geometry. He also sciences has been successfully organized fractal dimension. Also, he explained introduced basic statistics for the benefit of under the aegis of Ministry of Earth relation between b-value and fractal students to understand the fractal time series Sciences, Govt. of India at North East Hill dimension (D). Further, Professor P. Shukla analysis. Further, Dr. Ravi Srivastava dealt University, Shillong co-ordinated by Dr introduced the concept of fractals with with the theory of geometrical fractals and Devesh Walia, Associate Professor, DES, examples from classical physics. Dr. H.N. showed its applications in geological NEHU from 18th June to 22nd June, 2010. Srivastava gave exhaustive lectures on modeling such as fold, fault, intrusion etc. The faculty was drawn from research theory and applications of fractals in Further, he explained fractal time series laboratory NGIR (CSIR), Hyderabad; seismology. Also he touched upon the analysis and showed its applications in GERMI-RIIC, Gandhinagar and NEH applications of Chaos theory in seismology. reservoir modeling. He also donated some University. The participants were mostly Further Dr. R.K.Tiwari dealt with the computer programs to generate geometrical students and teachers of North East area and fundamentals of Chaos theory and models and explained its uses. a few from other parts of the country. introduced various non linear parameters Prof Satish Kumar discussed the issues The course aimed at to introduce new such as strange attractor, Lyapunov with special reference to the application of upcoming science of fractals and chaos in exponent, K2 entropy and their applications fractals in the biophysical systems. earth sciences. The course was divided into in analysis of geophysical time series data. One day field excursion to understand two areas: Fractals and Chaos. The course Dr. Ashutosh Chamoli introduced the theoretical concepts with reference to work was designed to have theoretical Wavelet theory and gave various examples the complexities of the field including the lectures on the aspect of fractals and chaos to find out non-linearity in the time series. geological factors, has been part of the five in the forenoon session and tutorials in the Dr. Ashutosh also showed comparison days training programme. The course was afternoon. Professor V.P. Dimri introduced between Fourier and Wavelet analysis. In very well taken by the participants and the concept of Fractals and Chaos and gave tutorial session he demonstrated feedback indicates the interest and an overview of applications of this science computation procedure of Fractal dimension inclination towards the learning and its in different areas of earth sciences. He (D). application.

Thermogenic Petroleum Gas in Sagar District, – Arun K. Shandilya, Dept. of Geology, H.S. Gour Univ., Sagar – 470 003; (Email: [email protected])

The discovery of the rare gas helium in isotope analysis. It has been found in the geochemically and stable isotopically hydrocarbon rich zone in the and stable isotope δC13 value, methane is analyzed at KDMIPE Dehradun and tahsil of Sagar district, M.P., is a -43.6‰ to 54.9‰ w.r.t. PDB and for the NGRI, Hyderabad. The result of the unique finding in the history of Earth ethane gas is -24.9 to -26.4‰ w.r.t. PDB stable isotopic analysis of ethane gas science in India. It is remarkable that helium in the samples collected at Rahatgarh, indicate that it is of thermogenic origin, contents varies from 0.34% to 0.732% along Meerkhedi, Piparia, Bhutoli villages in which must have been formed at very high with 72% to 99% of methane and ethane, Sagar district. The occurrence of rare helium temperature and pressure condition in the and minor amount of oxygen, nitrogen and gas in the hydrocarbon rich zone was deeper horizon of the great Vindhyan

CO2 gases in the hydrocarbon rich zone reported for first time in Jan., 2007 from sedimentary basin of early Proterozoic recorded during the geochemical and stable the tube wells of Sagar district, which were (>500m.y.) period.

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At present studies on the leakages of These bore/tube wells varying in depth which are intercalated with intertrappean rare gas helium along with petroleum gases from 260 to 400 ft of Shri Bhagwan Ssingh limestone. The area where the leakages of in the hydrocarbon rich zone have been (lat: 23°47'59.2"N, long 79°05' pertoleum gas had been discovered is done in the samples of soil, water and gas 29.6" E, Elevation 448 m). The tube wells located on the alluvial soil. The Deccan Trap collected from the tube wells located in the (depth 400 feet) of Sri Asharam Patel rocks are exposed west of the Chinnoua various villages in the Rahatgarh, Garhakota S/o Sri Ghappu Patel (lat: 23°48'20" N, village in Garhakota tahsil. The sandstone tahsils of Sagar and tahsil of long: 79°50'20.7" E, elevation 450 m). and shales are dipping 10 - 15 degree district. Leakage of petroleum gas Rahatgarh: This village is located towards SE. The topography is more or less was reported first in 1980 from the 40 km west of Sagar on the way to . flat with some low lying areas near the Meerkhedi village located on Sagar-Vidisha In the bore well of Shri Leeladhar Tiwari stream. road, at about 15 km from the Rahatgarh (Tiwari Dhawa: lat: 23°57'15.7" N, Long: Western fringe of the Rahatgarh and town and in 1993, in another tube well at 79°25'03"E, Elevation 484 m), the tube Meerkhedi areas are covered mostly by the Rahatgarh the leakages was reported by the well is situated on the Deccan Trap – Deccan Traps, except few inliers of the rocks author. Vindhyan contact. The leakage of of Rewa Group and Bhander Group of the Leakages of hydrocarbon gas has been petroleum gas is reported since 1993. Vindhyan Supergroup. discovered in Piparia-Bhutoli area near Meerkhedi: This tube well (lat: The ONGC Dehradun has concluded Chinnoaa in Garhakota Tahsil in Sagar 23°45'56"N, Long:78°18'9.6"E, Elevation that the seepage gases of Piparia Bhatoli and district and Batiyagarh village in Damoh 440 m) belongs to Shri Dhan Singh. The Rahatgarh are predominantly methane district, about 140x20 km2 area. The bore area falls in the toposheet no. 55 I/5. This (72.14%-84 % in Piparia Bhutoli and 99% well varrying in depth from 340-400 ft. tube well is the eastern extremity of village in Tiwari Dhaba, Rahatgarh borewell and The Director of Exploration, KDMIPE, Meerkhedi, 13 km of Rahatgarh on the way are devoid of higher hydrocarbons. The ONGC, Dehradun had sent a team of to Vidisha. This tube well is pouring hydrocarbon gases seem to have geologists on 8th May 2007, along with the petroleum gas since 1984 with enormous predominance of bacterial methane. team the author visited the Piparia-Bhutoli bubbling in the water. The tube well is The detail geochemical and stable and Rahatgarh and Meerkhedi area and located on the contact of Deccan Trap and isotopic studies of the natural petroleum gas collected the samples of soil, water and Vindhyan sandstone (inlier).The quantity and water samples was done in the gas. Then we observed that this air cum of petroleum gas bubbling increases day laboratories of NGRI. The following are the gas coming out from the bore well is burning by day. findings: in blue flame. In the month Jan.2008 a Mahalwara: In the borewell of Sri The presence of the ethane gas in both letter was written to the Director General, Halle Singh Lodhi at Mahalwara about the localities, and δC13 value is in the range GSI, Kolkata and to the Director, NGRI, 11 km north of Patharia railway station in of -24.9‰ w.r.t. P.D.B. and - 26.4 ‰ w.r.t. Hyderabad for further investigation . The tube well water is P.D.B. indicate the thermogenic source of under the joint collaboration with H.S. inflammable with flames reaching a height these gases. Gour University. A team of scientists from of up to 1 m. The samples of the Piparia-Bhutoli- NGRI visited various bore wells and The present gas leakages has been Rahatgarh-Meerkhedi containing 72% to collected the samples of soil, water and discovered in the dried tube wells, located 99% of methane, 0.34% -0.742% of helium, gas from difference localities mentioned on sandstone, shale and limestone rocks along with oxygen, carbon dioxide and below: of the Rewa and Bhander Group of the nitrogen. The stable isotopic δC13 value is Piparia Bhutoli: The area covers part Vindhyan Supergroup. These petroliferous in the range varying from -43.6 ‰ w.r.t of toposheet no. 55M/1 and is accessible rocks are overlain by the Lameta bed in PDB for methane -24.66 ‰ w.r.t. PDB for by a 3 km village road from town Garhakota the western part of the Pipariya and Bhutoli ethane at Piparia–Bhutoli to -54.9 ‰ w.r.t. and around 45 km East of Sagar on the way area in Garhakota tahsil. The western part PDB for methane and 26.4‰ w.r.t PDB for to Damoh. The leakage of petroleum gas is of present area is overlain by the rocks of ethane at Rahatgarh are indicative of the reported from 8 tube wells in March 2007. upper Cretaceous Deccan Trap flows, thermogenic origin.

Scientific Drilling in the Barberton Greenstone Belt (Source: Geobulletin, v.53, pp.17-20)

The Barberton Greenstone Belt in Two scientific drilling programs are identified: (1) Sedimentary sequences, South Africa is one of the best-preserved planned in the Barberton Greenstone Belt which will provide information about successions of mid-Archaean (3.5-3.2 Ga) in coming years. The International erosion and sedimentation on the early supracrustal rocks in the world, and, as such, Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) has Earth, the composition and temperature of a remarkable natural laboratory where approved one of them and drilling is Archaean seawater, and one possible site conditions and processes of the surface of expected to start soon. where life may have emerged and evolved. the Archaean Earth can be studied in detail. *** Study of tidal sequences will provide *** Two main drilling targets were information about the dynamics of the

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