Noted geophysicist Janardhan Negi passes away

HYDERABAD, NOV 11:  Noted geophysicist Janardhan G Negi (81) passed away in Hyderabad.A former Director-grade scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), he made outstanding contribution in understanding earthquakes, mass extinctions, especially dinosaurs and the movement of the Indian sub-continent plates. In a long career of over four-decades, Negi did a stint in Brazil and served as

the Scientific Adviser to the Governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.  After the Bhuj earthquake of 2001, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Chief Minister of Gujarat, specially requested Negi to set up a Centre to study earthquakes and help in reconstruction through scientific methods.

Later, he headed the MP Council for Science and Technology as Director-General to shape up the policies that would help integrate S&T into the development initiatives of the Government. He won the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize among many accolades.

The Hyderabad-based NGRI has two sets of scientific groups working on earthquakes -- one researching major fault zones for triggering seismic activity and the other pursuing the role of reservoirs and large dams (reservoir induced seismicity).

Negi's group with Kaila and Krishna Brahmam published extensively on how major fault zones along the Himalayas and several states could be the cause for heightened earthquake activity. His large team at NGRI worked on earthquake prediction as well.

During the 1980s & 90s, Negi's group was at the frontline of research into mass extinctions. They showed how volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps about 65 million years ago could be the cause of the dissapearance of the gigantic creatures from the surface of the earth.

The theory raised a storm as it was in direct conflict with the popular version that an asteroid impact had wiped out the dinosaurs from the Earth. This was propounded by Luiz Alvarez, Shapiro et al and received wide global attention.

His contributions in the field of the 'super mobility' of the Indian sub-continent plates (2 cms per year), after being detached from Gondwana Landmass and its thrusting with the Tibetan plate to form the Himalayas and seismic activity won wide recognition. As a theoretical geophysicist he published many papers in international journals and was honoured by the Indian and International Geophysical Unions.

Interestingly, Negi was also well versed with vedic science, astronomy and astrology. He was a strident in critic of mediocre science and wedded to scientific temper till the end, Negi is survived by his wife and two sons.