National Centre for Earth Science Studies

In Peer Reviewed Journals:

1. Nandakumar, V., Simon L. Harley ,2019 : Geochemical signatures of mid-crustal melting processes and heat production in a hot orogen: The Kerala khondalite belt, southern India; Lithos;Vol. 324-325; pp-479-500; DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2018.11.016
2. Mayank joshi, Rajappan S, Prasobh P Rajan, J. Mathai, G. Sankar and V. Nandakumar,,2018 : Weathering controlled landslide in deccan traps: insight from the Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra. (2018), ; Journal geological society of India.
3. JL Jayanthi, V. Nandakumar and S. S. Anoop [2016]. Feasibility of a 785 nm diode laser in Raman spectroscopy for characterizing hydrocarbon-bearing fluid inclusions in Mumbai Offshore Basin, India. Petroleum Geoscience, first published online [January] [17], [2017], https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2016-071
4. Harley, S.L and Nandakumar, V., (2016). New evidence for Palaeoproterozoic high grade metamorphism in the Trivandrum Block, Southern India. Precambrian Research. 280, 120–138
5. V. Nandakumar and JL Jayanthi (2016). Hydrocarbon Fluid Inclusions, API Gravity of Oil, Signature Fluorescence Emissions and Emission Ratios: An Example from Mumbai Offshore, India. Energy&Fuels, 2016. DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5b02952
6. George PM, Santosh M, Chen N, Nandakumar V, Itaya T, Sonali MK, Smruti RP and Sajeev K (2015). Cryogenian magmatism and crustal reworking I the Southern Granulite Terrane, India. International Geology Review 57 (2), 112-133.
7. Kroner A, Santosh M, Hegner E, Shaji E, Geng H, Wong J, Xie H, Wan Y, Shang CK, Liu D, Sun M and Nandakumar V (2015). Palaeoproterozoic ancestry of pan-African high-grade granitoids in southernmost India:Implications for Gondwana reconstructions. Gondwana Research 27, 1-37.
8. Harley SL and Nandakumar V (2014). Accessory Mineral Behaviour in Granulite Migmatites: a case Study from Kerala Kondalite belt, India. Journal of Petrology 55(10),1965-2002.
9. V. Nandakumar, G. Mohan Kumar, K. Narendra Babu and V.S. Jeena (2006). Short-term behaviour of meteorological parameters in the low and highlands of Kerala – Journal of Soil and Conservation - Volume 6, No. 4, October 2006, page No. 169-179.
10. Nandakumar, V. and Sidharthan, S (2004)“Economic & Social security for tribals through sustainable agriculture in the Western Ghats”– Paper presented in the workshop on “Poverty reduction strategies for hilly areas of Western Ghats” at the National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad.
11. Abdul Hakkim, V.A., Nandakumar.V.and Sajeena. (2004) “Run off variation due to the landuse change in small watersheds of Western Ghats” Journal of Soil and Conservation – Volume 3, No. 3&4, December 2004, page No. 99-105.
12. Nandakumar, V., Rajendran, P., Ajith Kumar, C. E., Abdul Hakkim, V. A. and Raju. K. (2004) “Modelling sediment yield from the microwatersheds of Western Ghats” Journal of Soil and Conservation – Volume 3, No. 3&4, December 2004, page No. 169-179.
13. Nandakumar, V., Rajendran, P. and Narendra Babu, K. (2001) “Characterization of Soils in the sholas of Idukki and Wynad districts” Chapter – 2 in the book Shola Forests of Kerala Environmental and Bio-diversity – pp. 25-70. Published by Kerala Forest Department and Kerala Forest Research Institute.
14. Nandakumar, V., Rajendran, P. and Narendra Babu, K. (2001) Effect of Monoculture Plantations on the Physico-chemical Characteristics and Fertility Status of the Forest Soils of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala India in “Advances in Land Resources Management of 21st Century” pp. 237-252. Published by Soil Conservation Society of India
15. Nandakumar, V and Harley, S. L (2000) A reappraisal of Pressure – Temperature conditions and P-T path of the Kerala Khondalite Belt Journal of Geology, V-108, No.6, pp 687- 705.
16. Suresh Babu, D.S., Nandakumar,V.  and Padmalal,  D. (2000) Analysis of land, soil and water in the Neyyar wildlife sanctuary, South Kerala. Proceedings of the 12th Kerala Science Congress, January 2000. Pp. 57-62.(in press during the period 1-1-99 to 31-12-99)
17. Suresh Babu. D. S., Nandakumar, V., John. B., Jayaprasad, B.K. and Pramod, S.V. (2000) Siltation analysis in the Neyyar reservoir and forest degradation in its catchment: a study from Kerala Sate- India. Environmental Geology – V-39, No. 3-4 , pp 390-397(Jan – 2000)
18. Nandakumar. V (1996) The cordierite and orthopyroxene bearing charnockites of Nellikala, Trivandrum block, southern India. Gondwana Research Group Memoir-3: The Archean and Proterozoic terrains in Southern India within East Gondwana Field Science Publishers, Osaka pp.333-340.
19. Nandakumar. V. (1996) Low density Carbondioxide in deep crustal cordierites: Implications for low pressure granulite formation. Indian Journal of Geochemistry, vol. 11, pp. 27-36
20. Suresh Babu D. S., Nandakumar V., Padmalal D., Ramakrishnan C. Implication of slope failures in Bioreserves: A case study from Neyyar Catchment, Kerala. Abstracts, National Seminar on Landslides in Western Ghats, CESS August, 1995.
21. Nandakumar. V. and Suresh Babu D. S. (1997) Surface features on Garnet from Different Sources: Observations from South Kerala, India. Journal of Geological Survey of India. vol. 50, pp. 95-101 (1997).
22. Santosh, M., Kagami, H., Yoshida, M. and Nandakumar.V. (1992) Pan-African charnockite formation in east Gondwana: Geochronologic (sm-Nb and Rb-Sr) and petrogenetic constraints. Bulletin of Indian Geologists’ Association, vol. 25 pp.1-10.
23. Santosh, M., Jackson. D. H., Yoshida. M. and Nandakumar. V. (1991) Cordierite grranulites of Sri Lanka and southern India: Evidences for decompression and CO2 influence into the deep crust. Abstracts of International Field Workshop and seminar on ‘Composition and Evolution of high-grade geniss terrains’ (Kandy Sri Lanka: 1991) pp.60
24. Santosh, M., Yoshida, M. and Nandakumar, V (1991) Fluid characteristics across a gneiss – charnockite reaction front in Sri. Lanka: Implications for granulite formation in the Gondwanian deep crust. Journal of Mineralogy, Petrology and Economic Geology, vol.86, pp 27-44
25. Santosh, M., Nandakumar,V., Jackson, D.H. and Yoshida. M (1991) Multiple entrapment of CO2 in deep crustal cordierites. Journal of Mineralogy, Petrology and Economic Geology, vol.86 (1991), PP. 116-120
26. Nandakumar, V., Santosh, M. and Yoshida. M (1991) Decompression granulites of southern Kerala, south India: Microstructure and Mineral Chemistry. Journal of Geosciences (Osaka), vol.34 (1991) pp.119-145.
27. Nandakumar. V. and Santosh. M (1990) CO2 rich fluid inclusion in cordierites; Constrains on granulite genesis. Proceedings of Indian Science Congress (Culcutta, 1990), pp.22-23.

Popular Articles:

1. Time scales of melting in hot Orogens: “Inside out” Zircons from Kerala Khondalite Belt (2011). CESS News., v.21., No.1-4.
2. CESS- ONGC tie up to give fillip to oil exploration (2012) CESS News., v. 22., No. 3-
3. “Coarse & fine aggregates dead end: a way forward”, by V. Nandakumar & K. P. Thrivikramaji , Feb, 2011., in Kerala Vikasana Seminar.

Books/Chapters In Edited Volumes:

1. Chris Clark, M. Santosh, Rich Taylor, Ian Fitzsimons, V. Nandakumar and E. Shaji. Field Guide- Author of a Field guide to the chranockites, khondalites and leptynites of the Kerala Khondalite Belt, Southern Granulite Terrane, India for the International Conference Granulites and Granulites 2013, P. 64.
2. Nandakumar, V., Rajendran, P. and Narendra Babu, K. (2001) “Characterization of Soils in the sholas of Idukki and Wynad districts” Chapter – 2 in the book Shola Forests of Kerala Environmental and Bio-diversity – pp. 25-70. Published by Kerala Forest Department and Kerala Forest Research Institute.
3. Nandakumar, V., Rajendran, P. and Narendra Babu, K. (2001) Effect of Monoculture Plantations on the Physico-chemical Characteristics and Fertility Status of the Forest Soils of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala India in “Advances in Land Resources Management of 21st Century” pp. 237-252. Published by Soil Conservation Society of India.

Projects:

• Palaeo fluids in the petroliferous basins of western offshore, India” - on going.
• Watershed Project Evaluation Fund [WPEF]
• Applied Technology and Training Centre (AT&TC), Government of Kerala
• Deep Crustal processes during the evolution of Archean Nilgiri Block, Southern India -On-going
• Primary and secondary rutile: a case study from Kerala [DST – 25].
• Analysis of land, soil and water in the Neyyar catchment: A case study. sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife
• Terrain characteristics and soil nutrient status of the Rattendon valley annexe reserved forests of Periyar Tiger Reserve, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala
• Characterisation of soil within the closed evergreen forests of Kerala, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala.
• Terrain characteristics and soil degradation studies in the forest eco-systems in areas adjoining Idukki reservoir, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala.
• Watershed studies in selected districts of Kerala with special emphasis on tribal settlements, sponsored by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala.
• Tectonothermal History of Kerala Khondalite Belt, Sponsored by the Institute

Education:

Professional career:

Honours & Awards:

• Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions in Geosciences -2015 by Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India.
• Indian National Science Academy (INSA) –Royal Society (UK) award for research visit in the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom in 1998 and 2010.
• CSIR - JRF in Geology in 1988.

Patent Granted:

“Method of detecting API gravity of oil present in hydrocarbon bearing fluid inclusions”, Patent No. 315456 dated 03/07/2019

Membership in Professional Bodies:

1. Geological society of India -Life Member (LM-750)-since 1989
2. Indian Society of Remote Sensing - Life Member (L – 1443)-since 1996
3. International Association for Gondwana Research- Member-since 1996
4. Soil Conservation Society of India- Life Member (LM-204)-since 1999
5. Indian Society of Soil Survey and Land-Use Planning- Member- since 2005
6. Mineralogical Society of America-Member-since 2011

Selected Publications:

1. Duggal a J Gupta RP Sankar G and Singhal BBS 1982 Snow cover and snow melt runoff relation in Beas catchment India using – Landsat images In “Applied Modeling in Catchment hydrology” Water Resources Publications, USA
2. Rupta R P, Duggal A J, Rao S N,  Sankar G and Singhal BBS 1982 Snow cover area Vs Snow melt rumoff relation and its dependence on geomorphology- A Study from the Beas catchment (Himalayas, India) Journal of Hydrology, Elsevier pub 58 325-329
3. Srikumar Chattopadhyay M B Salim and Sankar G 1986 Integerated environmental assessment for Ecodevelopment a case study of Bavalipuzha –Aralampuzha Drainage basin in Kerala. Proc. Seminar on Eco-development of Western Ghats pp 266 – 275
4. Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose,Cees van Westen, Ramesh c lakhera, LP H van Beek, Sankar G, Dinand Alkema, TW Vvan Asch and Jayadev S K (2006) Effect of vegetation on debris flow initiation Conceptualization and parameterization of adynamic model for debris flow initiation in Tikovil river basin, Kerala, India using PC RASTER Proc. ISPRS Goa
5. Sankar G 2005  Landslides of Kerala and their Management. In G.V Rajamanickom ( editor) “landslides” Proc of the national seminar on landlsides , SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur pp 97-106
6. Sekhar L Kuriakose, V G Jetten, C J van Westen, G Sankar, L P H van Beek 2008 Pore pressure as a trigger of shallow landslides in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India: Some preliminary observations from an experimental catchment, Physical Geography, 29(4):374 -385
7. Sekhar L Kuriakose, G Sankar, C.Muraleedharan 2009 History of landslide suceptibility and chronology of landslide prone areas in the western Ghats of Kerala, Environmental Geology, 57 (7),1153-568
8. Nair ASK, Sankar G and Nalinakumar S 1993 Remotesensing applications in the study of coastal inlets Photonirvachak vol 21, No3

Reports:

1. Sankar G 1991 Investigation of landslides at Kudanji and Kurachundu Calicut district. Report submitted to Government, CESS Trivandrum
2. Sankar G 1994 Causes of landslides. In Proc. of Training course of landslide hazard mitigation and management, Calicut organized by BIP and CWRDM
3. Sankar G and Thampi P K 1997 Land disturbances near Niramkaitakotta Temple, vallikunnu Panchayat Malappuram district. Report submitted to the Govt. CESS
4. Sankar G 2001 A Preliminary report on the November 9th Landslide at Amboori panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram district. Report submitted to the Govt. CESS
5. Sankar G and John Mathai  2002 Report on land disturbances around Mount carmel Convent, Perumala, Kanadalur Panchayat Idukki District report CESS PR- 23-2002
6. Sekhar L Kuriakose, C J van Westen, R C Lakhera, L.P.Hvan Beek, G .Sankar, D.Alkema,T.W.J.van Asch,Jayadev S K., 2006 Effect of vegetation on debris flow initiation- Conceptulisation and parameterisation of a Dynamic Model for debris flow initiation in Tikovil River Basin, Kerala ,India using PC Raster. 2nd International symposium on Geoinformation for Disasters, September 25-26 GOA ISPRS Commission IV, Ahmedabad,India
7. Thampi P K John Mathai, Sankar G and Sidharthan S 1988 Evaluation Study  in terms of landslide mitigation in parts of Western ghats , Kerala. Report submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India
8. Thampi P K John Mathai, and Sankar G 1993 Terrain Evaluation in terms of hazard mitigation at LPSC Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu CESS report
9. Sankar G, John Mathai, and Sidharthan S 1999 “landslide mitigation study in landslideprone areas of Pathanapuram taluk, Kollam district” Report No CESS-PR- 36-2004 submitted to the Government
10. Sachith Mohan, R.L Anuroop,G, Sankar G and John Mathai 2006 Human Interaction and its Effects on the Stability of slopes. A case study pf the recent debris flows in the Pashukkadavu area in the Maruthonkara Panchayat, Kozhikode Proc XVIII Kerala Science Congress, Trivandrum pp261-263
11. Thampi P K John Mathai, Sankar G and Sidharthan S 2001 Terrain data management system for Natural calamity mitigation. Final Technical report No CESS-PR-28-2001

Ongoing projects:

• Landslide hazard zonation and mitigation of Kozhikode district, Kerala
• Investigation of land disturbances in the form of debris flow, debris slides and piping occurring in the Kerala state (work undertaken for the Revenue department, Govt  of Kerala)
• Disaster management Plan preparation for the State of Kerala – Phase 1 (Revenue Department)
• Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment for 5 Corporations and  One district of Kerala ( Revenue Department)
• “Man-induced Land Modifications and its Impact on Fragile Environments: A Study in Thodupuzha taluk – Idukki district, Kerala”
• Studies of the vulnerable railways cuttings between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam (Trivandrum Division, S.Railway)

Projects Completed:

• Preparation of landslide hazard zonation map of Western Ghats, Kerala
• Investigation of landslide/slope stability in the Western Ghats.
• Environmental impact of multipurpose river valley projects on drainage systems.  A case study on the Periyar-Thodupuzha drainage systems
• Mapping of coastal wetlands of Kerala using satellite images
• Mapping of shoreline changes of Kerala using satellite images
• Preparation of inland wetland maps of Kerala using satellite images
• Preparation of micro level resource maps.
• Preparation of Ground water prospects maps (Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission)
• Ground water recharge plans for selected Panchayats
• Geo-environmental inputs for the preparation of Forest management Plans for 14 forest Divisions