About IIT GATE Geology
Syllabus for IIT GATE Geology
Previous Year Questions
The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is a renowned national-level examination that evaluates candidates’ in-depth knowledge across a range of undergraduate-level subjects in Engineering, Technology, Science, Architecture, and Humanities. It is used for admission to various Master’s and Doctoral programs and for recruitment by certain Public Sector Undertakings.
What does GATE provide?
Admission:
Valid GATE score can be used for seeking admission to:
(i) Master’s programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering/ Technology/ Science/ Architecture/ Humanities; and
(ii) Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Engineering/ Technology/ Science/ Architecture/ Humanities,
in the institutions supported by the MoE and other Government agencies.
Financial Assistance:
Qualifying GATE score can be used for seeking financial assistance towards:
(i) Master’s programs and direct Doctoral programs in Engineering/ Technology/ Science/ Architecture/ Humanities; and
(ii) Doctoral programs in relevant branches of Engineering/ Technology/ Science/ Architecture/ Humanities,
in the institutions supported by the MoE and other Government agencies.
Recruitment:
Many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have been using the GATE score in their recruitment process. A list (not exhaustive) of such PSUs is provided below:
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Coal India Limited (CIL), Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), Chenab Valley Power Projects Limited (CVPPL), Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Engineers India Limited (EIL), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), NLC India Limited (NLCIL), National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), etc.
How to Apply?
Candidates can apply for GATE 2025 only through GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) available through “Candidate Portal” button on the website https://goaps.iitr.ac.in/login from September 3, 2024 to October 11, 2024 .
Documents Requirements
X standard (SSC) Marksheet/Certificate
Eligibility degree
Photograph
Signature
Category Certificate
Part-A: Common Section
Earth and planetary system – terrestrial planets and moons of the solar system; size, shape, internal
structure and composition of the earth; concept of isostasy; elements of seismology – body and
surface waves, propagation of body waves in the earth’s interior; Heat flow within the earth;
Gravitational field of the Earth; geomagnetism and paleomagnetism; continental drift; plate
tectonics – relationship with earthquakes, volcanism and mountain building; continental and
oceanic crust – composition, structure and thickness.
Weathering and soil formation; landforms created by river, wind, glacier, ocean and volcanoes.
Basic structural geology – stress, strain and material response; brittle and ductile deformation;
nomenclature and classification of folds and faults.
Crystallography – basic crystal symmetry and concept of point groups. Mineralogy – silicate
crystal structure and determinative mineralogy of common rock forming minerals.
Petrology of common igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Geological time scale; Geochronology and absolute time. Stratigraphic principles; major
stratigraphic divisions of India.
Mineral, coal and petroleum resources of India.
Introduction to remote sensing.
Engineering properties of rocks and soils.
Elements of hydrogeology.
Geophysics – Principles and applications of gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, seismic and
radiometric methods of prospecting for oil, mineral and ground water; introductory well logging.
Part-B (B1): Geology
Geomorphology: Geomorphic processes and agents; development and evolution of landforms in
continental and oceanic settings; tectonic geomorphology.
Structural Geology: Forces and mechanism of rock deformation; primary and secondary
structures; geometry and genesis of planar and linear structures (bedding, cleavage, schistosity,
lineation); folds, faults, joints and unconformities; Stereographic projection; shear zones, thrusts
and superposed folding; basement-cover relationship. Interpretation of geological maps.
Crystallography and Mineralogy: Elements of crystal symmetry, form and twinning;
crystallographic projection; crystal chemistry; classification of minerals, physical and optical
properties of rock- forming minerals.
Geochemistry: Cosmic abundance of elements; meteorites; geochemical evolution of the earth;
geochemical cycles; distribution of major, minor and trace elements in crust and mantle; elements
of high temperature and low temperature geochemical thermodynamics; isotopic evolution of the
crust and the mantle, mantle reservoirs; geochemistry of water and water-rock interaction.
Igneous Petrology: Classification, forms, textures and genesis of common igneous rocks;
magmatic differentiation; binary and ternary phase diagrams; major and trace elements as monitors
of partial melting and magma evolutionary processes. Mantle plumes, hotspots and large igneous
provinces.
Sedimentology: Texture, structure and sedimentary processes; petrology of common sedimentary
rocks; Sedimentary facies and environments, cyclicities in sedimentary succession; provencance
and basin analysis. Important sedimentary basins of India.
Metamorphic Petrology: Structures and textures of metamorphic rocks. Physico-chemical
conditions of metamorphism and concept of metamorphic facies, grade and baric types;
chemographic projections; metamorphism of pelitic, mafic and impure carbonate rocks; role of
bulk composition including fluids in metamorphism; thermobarometry and metamorphic P-T-t
paths, and their tectonic significance.
Paleobiology: Diversity of life through time, mass extinctions- causes and effects; taphonomy –
processes of fossilization. Taxonomy. Morphology and functional morphology of invertebrates
(bivalves, brachiopods, gastropods, echinoids, ammonites); microfossils (foraminifera, ostracoda,
conodonts, bryozoa); Vertebrate paleonology (Equus, Probicidea, Human); Paleobotany (plant,
spores, pollens). Basic concepts of ecology/paleoecology; classification – ecological and
taxonomic schemes (diversity and richness). Fossils and paleoenvironments.
Stratigraphy: Principles of stratigraphy and concepts of correlation; Lithostratigraphy,
biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy. Principles of sequence stratigraphy and applications.
Stratigraphy of peninsular and extra-peninsular India. Boundary problems in Indian stratigraphy.
Resource Geology: Ore-mineralogy; ore forming processes vis-à-vis ore-rock association
(magmatic, hydrothermal, sedimentary, supergene and metamorphogenic ores); fluid inclusions as
ore genetic tools. Coal and petroleum geology; marine mineral resources. Prospecting and
exploration of economic mineral deposits – sampling, ore reserve estimation, geostatistics, mining
methods. Ore dressing and mineral economics. Distribution of mineral, fossil and nuclear fuel
deposits in India.
Global Tectonics: Plate motions, driving mechanisms, plate boundaries, supercontinent cycles.
Applied Geology: Physico-mechanical properties of rocks and soils; rock index tests; Rock failure
criteria (Mohr-Coulomb, Griffith and Hoek-Brown criteria); shear strength of rock discontinuities;
rock mass classifications (RMR and Q Systems); in-situ stresses; rocks as construction materials;
geological factors in the construction of engineering structures including dams, tunnels and
excavation sites. Analysis of slope stability.
Natural hazards (landslide, volcanic, seismogenic, coastal) and mitigation. Principles of climate
change.
Hydrogeology: Groundwater flow and exploration, well hydraulics and water quality.
Basic Principles of Remote Sensing: energy sources and radiation principles, atmospheric
absorption, interaction of energy with earth’s surface, aerial-photo interpretation, multispectral
remote sensing in visible, infrared, thermal IR and microwave regions, digital processing of
satellite images. GIS – basic concepts, raster and vector mode operations.
