APG was formally inaugurated last Oct. 25 by Subir Raha, chairman and managing director, ONGC, and S.N. Talukdar, doyen of Indian petroleum geology. Y.B. Sinha, ONGC director of exploration, presided over the function as an APG patron.

After formation of an ad-hoc body and registration of the association, an aggressive membership drive resulted in about 500 members from among various petroleum companies, academia and students.

APG's first governing body was unanimously elected on Jan. 5. It consists of:

• Patron -- Y.B. Sinha.
• President -- D. Ray.
• Vice President -- N.K. Lal.
• Vice President -- D.P. Sahasrabudhe.
• Secretary -- James Peters.
• Jt Secretary -- Ravi Misra.
• Treasurer -- Surinder Uppal.

These elected officers are joined by five members to form the APG Executive Committee: SGK Mohan; Puneet Suri; Sushil Chandra; Manish Shukla; and Harshwardhan.

In addition, S.N. Swamy holds the position of APG Editor.

The APG was registered on May 19, and is affiliated to AAPG. The association will provide an opportunity for geologists to share their experiences, ideas and thoughts and create an environment that will benefit the oil industry especially in the field of exploration and production of hydrocarbons.

The organization's objectives are:

• Advancement of the science of geology especially as it relates to petroleum, natural gas, other subsurface fluids and mineral resources.
• Promotion of technology in exploration for finding and producing these materials in economically and environmentally sound manners.
• Fostering the spirits of scientific research through its members.

APG's first conference, "Strategic Challenges and Paradigm Shift in Hydrocarbon Exploration with Special Reference to Frontier Basins," will be held Sept. 27-29 at Mussoorie, a hill station in the Himalayan ranges.

Indian hydrocarbon exploration is being carried out in Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Gondwana, Paleozoic, Proterozoic and deepwater basins.

Speaking will be experts from industry and academia, and the theme will center on technologies and ideas pertaining to the disciplines of:

• Structure and tectonics.
• Sedimentation models.
• Basin analysis.
• Biostratigraphy.
• Energy resources (petroleum, CBM, gas hydrates and geothermal).

Two pre-conference short courses are being planned: "Sequence Stratigraphy," led by Bilal Haq, and "Evaluating Seals, Reservoirs and Hydrocarbon Pays," led by John Kaldi.

The extended abstract deadline for accepted papers is July 31.

Additional information is available by contacting apg_conference@rediff mail.com, or visiting the home page at http://www.apgindia.org.