HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The GSP has the unique honour of being the only research organization, which came into being with the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947. It was then manned by 5 geologists and one chemist and had no laboratory facility to provide technical support to field operations. Over the period of last 5 decades its personnel strength has steadily grown. It now has a work force of about 1290 employees, which includes about 150 geologists.

The expansion in the size of the Department has been generally accompanied the creation and modernization of some of the needed laboratory and ancillary facilities. This growth has, in fact, corresponded with a visible shift in operational strategy and exploration priorities. The earlier quarter-inch mapping of reconnaissance nature on topo-base has been replaced by the internationally practical 1:50,000 scale systematic regional geological mapping using aerial photographs and satellite imagery. The change is more profoundly noticeable in the field of mineral exploration. From the early days of spot checks of reported mineral occurrences, the GSP is now undertaking integrated scientific exploration of well-defined mineral targets in geological environments, which are considered favourable for mineralization on the basis of conceptual modeling.

In its formative years the GSP also did the pioneering work in fields of hydrogeology and engineering geology but gradually this work was overtaken by other agencies. However, in the process the geological base of these studies could not be suitably strengthened and thus the desired results were not forthcoming. Consequently, the government has now again allowed GSP to carry out hydrogeological and environmental geology studies from the year 1998-99.

On the eve of the start of the 21st century and the next millennium, a paradigm shift in the GSP's technical programme has been initiated which will profoundly affect the quality and complexion, direction and orientation, and quantum and output of its research and exploration. It will now address more directly the societal needs of geoscience information for a rapidly changing world of conflicting demands on resources and the environment.