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Kerala PSC Geological Assistant – Land Use Department
ജിയോളജിക്കൽ അസിസ്റ്റന്റ് – ഭൂവിനിയോഗ വകുപ്പ്
Technical posts and departmental tests
- Syllabus sections
- 15
Mock Tests
Tests coming soon.
About the exam
About the post
- Department: Land Use Department
- Category No: 046/2026
- Method: Direct Recruitment
- Pay scale: ₹43,400 – 91,200
- Vacancies: 6
- Notification: Gazette 30 June 2026; last date to apply was 5 August 2026
Qualification
- Essential: Postgraduate degree in Geology or Marine Geology from a UGC-recognised university, a national institute set up by the Government of India, or an institution set up by the Government of Kerala
- Equivalent or higher qualifications declared by Government order are also accepted
Who can apply
- Age: 18–40 (usual relaxations apply)
Always confirm the details in the official notification on keralapsc.gov.in before you apply or prepare.
Objective type examination for 100 marks. The official syllabus has 15 units: Units I–X cover marine and coastal geology (50 marks) and Units XI–XV cover general geology (50 marks). Questions may also come from other topics prescribed for the educational qualification of the post.
1Unit I – Marine Geology and Sea Floor Samplingമറൈൻ ജിയോളജിയും കടലടിത്തട്ട് സാമ്പിളിങ്ങും3 topics3 marks›
Unit I – Marine Geology and Sea Floor Samplingമറൈൻ ജിയോളജിയും കടലടിത്തട്ട് സാമ്പിളിങ്ങും
3 topics
- Marine geology: definition, scope and branches, major methods of marine geological investigation
- Oceanic expeditions: Challenger expedition, Deep Sea Drilling Project, Ocean Drilling Programme, Joint Global Ocean Flux Studies (JGOFS), Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP)
- Sea floor sampling techniques and devices: snappers, grabs, coring devices, dredging, underwater photography, diving
2Unit II – Ocean Physiographic Featuresസമുദ്രതട ഭൂരൂപങ്ങൾ4 topics6 marks›
Unit II – Ocean Physiographic Featuresസമുദ്രതട ഭൂരൂപങ്ങൾ
4 topics
- Continental margin: continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise
- Deep ocean features: abyssal plains, oceanic trenches, mid-oceanic ridges, seamounts, guyots, geothermal vents, oceanic plateaus
- Submarine canyons and deep sea channels, fjords and rias
- Topography of the Indian Ocean floor with special reference to the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea
3Unit III – Coral Reefs, Sea Level Changes and Marine Hazardsപവിഴപ്പുറ്റുകൾ, സമുദ്രനിരപ്പ് മാറ്റങ്ങൾ3 topics5 marks›
Unit III – Coral Reefs, Sea Level Changes and Marine Hazardsപവിഴപ്പുറ്റുകൾ, സമുദ്രനിരപ്പ് മാറ്റങ്ങൾ
3 topics
- Coral reefs: types and theory of atoll formation
- Sea level changes: causes and evidences
- Submarine volcanism, tsunamis (causes and effects), turbidity currents
4Unit IV – Continental Drift and Evolution of Oceansവൻകര വിസ്ഥാപനവും സമുദ്രങ്ങളുടെ പരിണാമവും3 topics6 marks›
Unit IV – Continental Drift and Evolution of Oceansവൻകര വിസ്ഥാപനവും സമുദ്രങ്ങളുടെ പരിണാമവും
3 topics
- Continental drift and development of modern oceans
- Structure and evolution of Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea
- Seafloor spreading: recent developments in the theory, north-south reversals in the direction of the geomagnetic field, use of magnetic reversals to determine the rate of seafloor spreading
5Unit V – Marine Sediments and Mineral Resourcesസമുദ്ര അവസാദങ്ങളും ധാതുവിഭവങ്ങളും3 topics6 marks›
Unit V – Marine Sediments and Mineral Resourcesസമുദ്ര അവസാദങ്ങളും ധാതുവിഭവങ്ങളും
3 topics
- Marine sediments: classes, sources and transportation, deep sea sediments
- Types of sediments: terrigenous, biogenous, hydrogenous/authigenic, cosmogenous, volcanogenic, brown clay, oozes
- Marine mineral resources and manganese nodules
6Unit VI – Coastal Zone Processesതീരമേഖലാ പ്രക്രിയകൾ4 topics5 marks›
Unit VI – Coastal Zone Processesതീരമേഖലാ പ്രക്രിയകൾ
4 topics
- Coastal zone: definition and nomenclature, waves, tides and currents (types and characterisation)
- Shore and shore dynamics: classification of shorelines, beaches and coasts
- Beaches: sources and composition of beach materials, factors controlling the character of the beach, beach cycles
- Sediment transport: transportation mechanisms, breakers and surf, wave refraction, reflection and diffraction, rip currents and longshore currents, littoral drift cells and sediment budget
7Unit VII – Coastal Landformsതീരദേശ ഭൂരൂപങ്ങൾ5 topics6 marks›
Unit VII – Coastal Landformsതീരദേശ ഭൂരൂപങ്ങൾ
5 topics
- Classification of coastal landforms, beach and nearshore system
- Landforms: dunes, cliff, spit, bar, tombolo, isthmus and barriers, estuaries, deltas, mangroves, intertidal mud flats, marshes, coral reef islands, coastal lagoons
- Origin of spits, bars and barriers, evolution of transgressive and regressive barriers
- Coast types: coasts dominated by waves, tides and rivers, deltaic coasts, coasts of coral and other small islands
- Mud banks: nature, classification and coastal erosion
8Unit VIII – Coastal Zone Managementതീരമേഖലാ പരിപാലനം4 topics5 marks›
Unit VIII – Coastal Zone Managementതീരമേഖലാ പരിപാലനം
4 topics
- Conservation and protection strategies: seawalls, groins and backwaters, beach restoration techniques
- Adaptation strategies for coastal communities, sustainable development practices in coastal areas
- Coastal zone management Acts and amendments, integrated coastal zone management approaches
- Evolution and tectonics of Indian coasts, coastal wetlands
9Unit IX – Law of the Seaസമുദ്ര നിയമം2 topics4 marks›
Unit IX – Law of the Seaസമുദ്ര നിയമം
2 topics
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
- Maritime zones: internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), high seas, rights and rules in the EEZ
10Unit X – Emerging Areas in Ocean Geologyസമുദ്ര ഭൂവിജ്ഞാനത്തിലെ പുതിയ മേഖലകൾ3 topics4 marks›
Unit X – Emerging Areas in Ocean Geologyസമുദ്ര ഭൂവിജ്ഞാനത്തിലെ പുതിയ മേഖലകൾ
3 topics
- Deep-sea exploration, Deep Ocean Mission of Govt. of India, seabed mining
- Climate change and ocean geology, carbon storage in marine sediments
- Geohazards and sustainable use of ocean resources
11Unit XI – Geomorphology, Environment and Soilsഭൂരൂപശാസ്ത്രം, പരിസ്ഥിതി, മണ്ണ്4 topics10 marks›
Unit XI – Geomorphology, Environment and Soilsഭൂരൂപശാസ്ത്രം, പരിസ്ഥിതി, മണ്ണ്
4 topics
- Geomorphology: fundamental concepts, models of evolution of landscape, geomorphic agents and processes, geomorphology of Kerala
- Environment: role of geologists in environment management, wastes and their disposal, types of pollution
- Weathering: types, processes and products
- Soils: soil formation, soil profile
12Unit XII – Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrologyധാതുശാസ്ത്രം, ഭൗമരസതന്ത്രം, ശിലാശാസ്ത്രം5 topics10 marks›
Unit XII – Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrologyധാതുശാസ്ത്രം, ഭൗമരസതന്ത്രം, ശിലാശാസ്ത്രം
5 topics
- Minerals: classification, identification in the field and in hand specimens, optical properties and identification in thin section
- Geochemistry: geochemical classification of elements, geochemical cycle
- Petrology: structures and textures of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, petrography and petrogenesis of important rocks of Kerala
- Metamorphism: factors of metamorphism, grade, zone and facies concept
- Building stones of Kerala
13Unit XIII – Remote Sensing and GISറിമോട്ട് സെൻസിങ്ങും ജിഐഎസും5 topics10 marks›
Unit XIII – Remote Sensing and GISറിമോട്ട് സെൻസിങ്ങും ജിഐഎസും
5 topics
- Principles: electromagnetic radiation characteristics, remote sensing regions and bands, radiation principles and energy sources, energy interaction with the atmosphere
- Acquisition and interpretation of remote sensing data
- Aerial photography: types of aerial photographs, their geometry and photo characters
- Digital image processing
- GIS: components of GIS, GIS software
14Unit XIV – Structural Geology, Stratigraphy and Plate Tectonicsസ്ട്രക്ചറൽ ജിയോളജി, സ്ട്രാറ്റിഗ്രഫി, ഫലക ചലനസിദ്ധാന്തം4 topics10 marks›
Unit XIV – Structural Geology, Stratigraphy and Plate Tectonicsസ്ട്രക്ചറൽ ജിയോളജി, സ്ട്രാറ്റിഗ്രഫി, ഫലക ചലനസിദ്ധാന്തം
4 topics
- Principles of geological mapping
- Rock deformation: concept of stress and strain, classification of folds, joints and faults and their recognition in the field, foliations and lineations, petrofabric analysis
- Plate tectonics
- Stratigraphy: principles of stratigraphy, geologic time scale, modern stratigraphic classification, stratigraphy of Kerala
15Unit XV – Groundwater Geologyഭൂജല ഭൂവിജ്ഞാനം4 topics10 marks›
Unit XV – Groundwater Geologyഭൂജല ഭൂവിജ്ഞാനം
4 topics
- Occurrence of groundwater, water bearing geologic formations, types of aquifers
- Groundwater movement: Darcy's law, groundwater flow rates and flow directions, tracers
- Surface and subsurface investigation methods of groundwater
- Saline water intrusion, groundwater quality