GATE GG-1 syllabus 2026

• 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.

Landforms created by river, wind, glacier, ocean and volcanoes.

• Stress, strain and material response
• brittle and ductile deformation
• nomenclature and classification of folds and faults.

Basic crystal symmetry and concept of point groups.

Silicate crystal structure and determinative mineralogy of common rock forming minerals.

Petrology of common igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

• Geochronology and absolute time. Stratigraphic principles
• major stratigraphic divisions of India.

Engineering properties of rocks and soils. Elements of hydrogeology.

• Principles and applications of gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, seismic and radiometric methods of prospecting for oil, mineral and ground water
• introductory well logging.

• Geomorphic processes and agents
• development and evolution of landforms in continental and oceanic settings
• tectonic geomorphology.

• 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.

• Elements of crystal symmetry, form and twinning
• crystallographic projection
• crystal chemistry
• classification of minerals, physical and optical properties of rock-forming minerals.

• 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.

• 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.

• Texture, structure and sedimentary processes
• petrology of common sedimentary rocks
• sedimentary facies and environments, cyclites in sedimentary succession
• provenance and basin analysis. Important sedimentary basin of India.

• 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 paths, and their tectonic significance.

• 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 paleontology (Equus, Probicdea, Human)
• Paleobotany (plant, spores, pollens). Basic concept of ecology/paleoecology
• classification - ecological and taxonomic schemes (diversity and richness). Fossils and paleoenvironments.

• 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.

• Ore-mineralogy
• ore forming processes vis-à-vis ore-rock association (magmatic, hydrothermal, sedimentary, supergene and metamorphic 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.

Plate motions, driving mechanisms, plate boundaries, supercontinent cycles.

• 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.

Groundwater flow and exploration, well hydraulics and water quality.

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.

Basic English grammar: tenses, articles, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, verb-noun agreement, and other parts of speech. Basic vocabulary: words, idioms, and phrases in context. Reading and comprehension, Narrative sequence.

Data interpretation: data graphs (bar graphs, pie charts, and other graphs representing data), 2- and 3-dimensional plots, maps, and tables. Numerical computation and estimation: ratios, percentages, powers, exponents and logarithms, permutations and combinations, and series. Mensuration and geometry. Elementary statistics and probability.

Logic: deduction and induction, Analogy, Numerical relations and reasoning.

Transformation of shapes: translation, rotation, scale, mirroring, assembling, and grouping paper folding, cutting, and patterns in 2 and 3 dimensions.