AAPG student chapter at UPES present "The Crust" event

The CRUST 2016; 31 March-2 April 2016

Wonders ought to happen when an amalgam of knowledge and professionalism is being formed. The Crust aimed at producing them for the Industry. With an intention to boost the enthusiasm and curiosity of the students who are our future endeavors, we had paper presentations, poster presentations, quizzes, workshops on topics like Remote Sensing, Petrel by renowned professionals from the industry.

The idea of a THE CRUST came about with a need to develop a close link between the Academics and the Industry. Most of the time companies face the dilemma that the recruited students are lacking the basic professional skills and the mettle needed to sustain in this tough completion of OIL & GAS and Energy Industry. Though it seems to be a small concern at the moment but it accumulates into a major problem at a later stage so The CRUST 2016 was the endeavour aimed to give students the tools needed for a successful career in future and helps student grow from a Liability into Asset for the company. It aimed at promoting the importance of sustainability and protecting our environment.

The objectives for THE CRUST 2016:

1. Explore ways that open innovation principles best applied to rapidly bridge the gap between industry and the students.
2. Provide higher quality of learning and exposure and improved quality access to a whole new experience.
3. Bring the recent developments in industry closer to the future pool of Petroleum Engineers, Geologist, and Energy Sector Professionals.

The events organized during CRUST 2016:

PAPER PRESENTATION (Technindite): Grease and filter the techno minds and pour the filtrate in the form of a paper presentation.
POSTER PRESENTATION (Petrocit): An opportunity to showcase scientific knowledge in 420 seconds.
PRESENT THE PAST (A case study): Analyse and investigate the present scenario of Industries through a case study.
TUNISTA MINERALI: Discover the Mineralogist in you.
CORPORATE MONOPOLY (sell-o-oleum): Check how much a business man you are?
GUEST LECTURE: A practical insight into what career entails.
CONCEPTUAL MODELLING (Plot-e-plot): Give your thoughts life and soul with the aid of a model.
REMOTE SENSING: bridge the differences between your Introspection and Industry.
CAPTURE THE FRACTURE: Let's click the geology around us.
OIL COGNITION: Present the future of the global oil and gas Industries.
T-SHIRT DESIGN: Paint out your imagination.
FIELD TRIP: Explore the Mountains.

FIELD TRIP

Geology can be studied in the classroom, but it can be better understood in the field. Examining first-hand the results of time, weather, and tectonic forces allows geoscientists to gain greater insight into the formation of reservoirs. Learning by doing, puts things into their proper scale, context, and perspective. Visiting formations and field operations helps you grasp how geological concepts work in the real world.

Participants of CRUST 2016 grabbed this golden opportunity and joined in for the field trip.

Commemorated with a witty yet interesting quote 'Please take your memories and garbage with you' the field trip headed from Bidholi on the bright Saturday morning of April 2. Round about 100 students including the national participants joined in for the field trip to a location near Jharipani.

Guided by four mentors who served as candles to the students Dr Uday Bhan (Faculty Advisor, UPES AAPG SC), Dr Pushpa Sharma (Co-Faculty Advisor, UPES AAPG SC), Mr Deepak Maurya and Dr Kaushik Sen (Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology). The trek started sharp at 1000 hours in the morning.

Learning the formation of Himalayas, the Tethys Ocean, the Plate collision and about the lesser Himalayas from the man himself Dr Kaushik Sen, who has been on a trek to that place. The students then moved towards the MBT (Main Boundary Thrust) where they saw the black colored Slate which was formed by the metamorphosis of shale; shale and conglomerate structures were also spotted a bit above that region.

Students also had the opportunity to witness the consequences of a earthquakes which causes faults which in turn leads to the formation of ridges, valleys, Horst and Graben, etc. On a fault line was spotted a tilted fault line encouraging the geologically unsound people to be creative and bringing in the existence of Mythology-God theory. But as budding geologists Students were made to analyze it carefully. They found it to be Shale converted to slate due to the process of metamorphosis as a consequence of the increased temperature and pressure conditions in the vicinity of the fault lines.

Dr Uday Bhan then acquainted the students with the different kinds of unconformities. Students were taught measuring dip and strike with the Brunton Compass the team carried to the field trip where they got to see dense bedding, foliations layers and more such geological structures. The students got to understand the true meaning of Foliation which in geology is referred to repetitive layering in metamorphic rocks which can be as thin as a sheet of paper, or over a meter in thickness. Students went lucky when accidently Dr Kaushik Sen stepped over a kind of rock which had undergone layering and foliations were found too.

Lesser Himalayas have a huge quantity of carbonate which was checked by the Carbonate test which gave effervescence confirming the presence of carbonate. The students collected various samples of sandstone, limestone, mudstone and shale after analyzing each and every sample in terms of its hardness, layering, carbonate tests, color etc.

Thereafter their knowledge was boosted regarding the Formation of Doon Valley; long valley within the Shivalik Hillsin the Lower Himalayas, in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Within which lies the city of Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state. Its formation from the nig ungraded boulders from Shivalik range and lesser Himalayas.

Everyone then trekked down with the feeling of a geologist and satisfaction of getting an opportunity to implement their university lectures onto the field. Taking a short nap in the bus which took them to 'osho' restaurant nearby where they had tasty and healthy lunch after the toil and zeal they had shown on the field. Everybody was really happy with the food. The dedication and cooperation of the participants and the accompanying mentors made the field trip a huge success.