General Description:

Some Useful Comments: Some other points pertinent to this field are:

• The month of February is one of the best periods to visit this part of India. The region is arid but very pleasant. The weather is mildly warm to the maximum of 32 degrees Celsius during the day, however the nights could be nippy and down to about 15 degrees Celsius as the minimum.
  
  
• Accommodations at Bhuj, Junagarh, Vadodra and Ahmedabad  will be shared rooms in tourist hotels. Cuisine in most places is likely to be Indian, which could mildly spicy. The Hotels would provide multi-cuisine food, including continental. Safe bottled water is recommended for drinking and would be arranged.
  
  
• Adequate government security would be arranged for participants who stick to the IKC field group.
• Malaria and other mosquito borne diseases are rare in this region in the month of February, however, it would be advisable to consult your respective nation consulates or WHO sites on any health warnings.
• Field Trip Guide books will be posted in the website and printed copies with maps would be made available to all the participants.
  
  
• There would be adequate opportunity for collection of field samples at certain locations. The field party leaders would guide the participants about the sample collection. Participants who wish to collect samples are (i) invited to bring their preferred sampling equipments (ii) sample packing material and (iii) should be prepared to cover the cost of sample shipment.
• Ahmedabad to Bhuj would be by air-conditioned railway coaches.
  
  
• All road travels are by 35-seat air-conditioned luxury coach. Road travels from the main road to the alkaline rocks locations are by field vehicles.
  
  
• There is no specific dress code for the field trip. But in view of local weather conditions light trousers and long-sleeved shirts are recommended.
  
  
• Participants must arrange for their own travel and medical insurance.

Detailed Itinerary:

12th February, 2012. Arrival Ahmedabad by Bangalore-Ahmedabad flight . Overnight train journey to Bhuj or by charted bus to Bhuj

13th and 14th February 2012: Field visit toBhujia hill,  Dhrubya, Vethon , Nakhatrana plugs of nephelinites intruding Jurassic sandstones hosting mantle derived spinel-peridotite nodules as well cognate olivine nodules.
During your stay at Bhuj, besides geology, the participants will get a chance to see Kutch’s native culture and temples.

15th February 2012: Seven (7) hours drive from Bhuj to Junagargh (about 350 km), The landscape would be arid but still pleasing.The participants will now enter the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Afternoon and evening will be an opportunity to see glimpses of Saurashtra’s rich native culture. Junagargh is a place of temples, museums and palaces. Participants will get to see all these as much as possible.

16th February 2012: Field trip to the Girnar Comples. The Girnar massif is a layered, lapolith-like plutonic, ring  complex emplaced within the Deccan lavas and manifests a wide variety of rocks such as  nepheline syenite to gabbro to diorite,  granophyres and some lamphrophyres.
Overnight train/bus to Baroda (Vadodra)

17th and 18th  February 2012: Field trip to the Pawagargh volcanic complex near Champaner town on way to Ahmedabad. This 500 m hil exposes some 22 different flows ranging in composition from primitive picrites basalts to basalt-mugearite and rhyolite and pitchstone and thus provides an entire spectrum of basalt evolution known from the Cretaceous Deccan volcanic province .
Visit to Lothal and return to Ahmedabad on 18th .
This historic ancient  site equivalent to the Mohenjadaro-Harappa period should interest every one interested in evolution of human civilization.

19th February 2012: For those who do not have morning flight, a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram (Mahatma Gandhi’s abode in Gujarat during his later years) and the famous temple at Akshardham would be organized.
Participants will have option of returning to Bangalore from Ahmedabad (cost included in field trip fee) or can opt for a trip of North India (The Conference Event Managers will be ready to provide any assistance that may be required for latter option).

Field Trip Deadlines:

• Only those persons are entitled for registration to the field trips who have registered for the main conference.
• Registration for the field trips requires full payment of appropriate fee.
• Field Trip Refunds: Refunds resulting from cancellation by a delegate are less 10% administration fee before 30th September, 2011. Between 1st October 2011 and 1st December 2011 refunds will be 50% of the total field trip costs. There will be no refunds after 1st December, 2011.
• If field trips are cancelled by 10 IKC through insufficient participation prior to 1st December 2011, field trip payments will be refunded in full.
• If delegates are not allocated a place on any of the requested field trips, an option for the other field trip, if available, would be made available to the participants on the condition of payment/return of the differential fee of that field trip. In case the delegate is not interested in that option, the field trip payments will be refunded in full.
• All requests for cancellations of field trip participation must be received in writing by post, e-mail or fax by the Conference Secretariat. Cancellations are not accepted by telephone. All cancellations are subject to the limitations specified above