<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-himalayas_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-himalayas_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-himalayas_0.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > India hosts the oldest rocks spanning 3.6 billion years of Earth's history to the youngest, active fold mountain belt of the world: the Himalayas. (Piyal Bhattacharjee/BCCL Delhi)

By hosting the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in Delhi during March 2-8. 2020, India is all set to become the only Asian Country to host the event twice. The last time India hosted the prestigious summit was back in 1964 when the then President of India Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan inaugurated the 22nd session of IGC in New Delhi.

The theme of the 36th IGC next year is 'Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Development'. The mega-event is popularly called the 'Olympics of Geosciences' among the academic circles as it is held once in four years. More than 5,000 geoscientists from around the world are expected to attend the event being hosted at the India Expo Centre & Mart in the National Capital Region.

In the run-up to the event, a half-day workshop was organised last week on Thursday, December 12 in New Delhi. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Shri Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary Coal & Mines. Dr M. Rajeevan said that the forthcoming IGC would help us in dealing with the problems of sustainability, energy crisis, water crisis, climate change, environmental issues and resource management.

A state-of-the-art geo exposition is also set to engage the visitors during the conference where leading mines and mineral companies will be showcasing their products and services.

Eminent geoscientists including Prof. K. S. Valdiya, Prof. Herbert E. Huppert, Dr Mihir Shah, Prof. Michael James Bickle and Prof. Bruce Edward Hobbs are scheduled to deliver the plenary speeches during the conference. In addition to scientific paper presentation and discussions, the conference will witness field trips, poster presentations, cultural tours, and workshops.

India will be hosting the event with the scientific support of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Since its inception 140 years ago, in 1878, in Paris, 35 sessions have been held by 24 different countries so far. IGC came under the aegis of International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 1961. South Africa hosted the 35th IGC at Capetown in 2016 where over 5,000 abstracts were submitted for oral and poster sessions. Delegates from 117 countries attended the event at Cape Town.

Geologically, India is of great academic interest as it hosts the oldest rocks spanning 3.6 billion years of Earth's history to the youngest, active fold mountain belt of the world: the Himalayas.

"The subcontinent houses precious and rare earth minerals; extinct and active volcanoes; exuberant rivers and river confluences; mature foreland basins and youthful landforms; extensive deltas and fans; hot and cold deserts; salt ranges and deep oceans; hot springs and waterfalls; majestic mountains and seemingly bottomless valleys," outlines the conference website.

The event is being funded by the Ministry of Mines (MoM) and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with the support of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the National Science Academies of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Geological Survey of India is the nodal agency for organising the event.