The Core archival and analysis facility at IIT Kanpur has been set up as a part of the Shallow Subsurface Studies (SSS) program supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The SSS programme intends to promote research in the area of Earth and Environmental Science through funding of projects. The SSS programme recognizes that major floodplain and delta areas of the country should be studied on a priority basis.  Accordingly, four major corridors have been selected for this programme. They include Ganga corridor, Cauvery corridor, Brahmaputra corridor and Gujarat corridor.

The main objectives of the core archive and analysis facility at IIT Kanpur are to archive  the drill cores, preserve and log them and to make them available for further studies to the researchers across the country. The primary focus is to develop a database for the shallow subsurface zone of the Ganga plains. Major applications of such a data base include:

	Evaluation of natural resources viz. water, food, fuel, and minerals,
	Infrastructure development e.g. roads, tunnels, dams, industries,
	Location of waste disposal sites – municipal, industrial, mining, nuclear,
	Groundwater and soil contamination,
	Ground response to natural hazards, climate change,
	Archaeology, and
	Lithosphere-biosphere interaction

For professional geoscientists, continuing education opportunities would be provided through contact programs. It is also expected that general public education programs would be initiated to simplify earth sciences for common people and market the knowledge.

Rajiv Sinha (Project Coordinator)

email: rsinha@iitk.ac.in

URL: http://home.iitk.ac.in/~rsinha/