The master program for remote sensing geology was established in 1983. It is the first authorized master degree granting in China. In 1985, the master program for environmental chemistry was set up. The discipline for applied geophysics has achieved a vigorous development since Prof. Xu Shizhe, an academician for China Academic of Science, mobilized to our university. In 2002, the discipline (speciality) for geo-exploration and information technology which is the sub-discipline of Geological Resources and Geological Engineering discipline was authorized doctor degree granting. Recent years, for the shortage of resource related to national economy, research fields for hydrocarbon resources prospecting and mineral geological survey has experienced a dramatic growth on the basis of sub-discipline for structural geology of Geology discipline.Focusing on the theme of resource exploration, the characteristic of disciplines is carrying on high-resolution acquiring, analyzing and processing for geology, geophysics, geochemistry and remote-sensing information by making the most of modern technology from ocean, space and land aspects. The objective is to make a contribution to construction and development of national economy, strengthening of national defense, improving the quality of research.Under the guidance of Academician Xu Shizhe, the discipline has been distinguished into four feature research areas, as follows, (1) computational and applied geophysics, (2) hydrocarbon resources prospecting, (3) mineral geological survey and evaluation, (4) remote sensing and spatial information technology. There are experts with a reasonable age structure in the team. The discipline is equipped with all kinds of advanced geophysical equipment, environmental and biological geochemical analysis equipment, and data and image processing system.The rich research achievements of this field have considerable influence in our country. There are undulating surface to plane method and profoundly downward continuation of potential field technology, using seismic mirco-well logging to carry on high-frequency compensation technology, using special coupled geophone to find the best matched technology, analysis of oil and gas accumulation technology in the thrust belt of foreland basin, the understanding of the law of salt structures and traps, and the distribution of oil and gas, technology of gas geochemical analysis, dynamics model of intra-continental orogenic mineralization and the technology of the characteristics of mineral formation resources survey system, and hyper-spectral remote sensing technology etc.. They are independent intellectual property rights of innovations.In a word, the advantages of the discipline are teaching research with a solid foundation, a complete range of research area, abundant research findings, teachers with a reasonable age structure, extensive international contacts and information channel. In the last five years, more than 300 papers have been published. There are 3 patents for invention, 4 provincial and ministerial awards obtained and nearly 100 enrolled doctoral and master students enrolled. The total amount of research funds accumulated to 30 million Renminbi Yuan. We will give the details of above four research fields as follows.Research filed I:Computed and Applied GeophysicsStaff: Academician Xu Shizhe, Prof. Tian Gang and Prof. Chen Shengchang etc.At this stage, one of the main factors of the bottleneck of economic development is from energy and mineral resources. The key to solve the problem is to improve the level of exploration and increase exploration efforts. The priority among priorities is raising the level of geophysical prospecting techniques.This research area takes a lead in the non-seismic geophysical exploration theory and methods in the exploration of oil and gas as well as mineral resources, which features solid and leading calculated geophysical methods and technology, a wide range of application areas and objectives, fruitful and effective promotion of research results. For example, undulating surface to plane method and profoundly downward continuation of potential field technology is at the international advanced level and has achieved a successful application in PetroChina, Sinopec and Bureau of Geology and Mineral in Xinjiang and other places. Seismic wave equation migration and shadow lighting and compensation technology is in the leading in China. The technology that using phase induced polarization and magnetic survey to carry out investigations in metal ores vision system has been praised by Geological Survey Bureau. The above technologies have obtained supports from 863 and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and enterprises and public institutions.Since China is a big maritime country, marine and polar geophysics is an important tool to study marine resources and global environmental change. Meanwhile, China has also a history of ancient civilizations for more than 5000 years. It is inevitable that scientific and technological development is applied in the field of protection of cultural heritage, so we have to introduce high-tech archaeological technology using geophysical exploration technology. The rapid development of economic construction is an outstanding mark of modern China. It is the bounden duty of science and technology workers to apply geophysical techniques to project construction.The characteristic of the research area is focusing on near-surface geophysical problems, using many lead-edge technologies such as high-precision three-dimensional seismic technology, multi-channel surface wave analysis technology, separation and inversion technology of gravity and magnetic data, multi-frequency electromagnetic wave in ice thickness measurement technology, and adhering to the road of self-reliant innovation. For example, the research on location and navigation seabed target by using gravity and magnetic field data is at an advanced level in our country and has gained the support from national defense, the research on ship-borne measurements of sea ice thickness with multi-frequency electromagnetic induction method is at international leading level and has obtained the support from 863, the research on the terrain and structures of the Antarctic ice sheet by using ground penetrating radar, which has brought Zhejiang University the upper hand in polar geophysical field in China, completed a submarine hydrothermal alteration of magnetic material detection system supported by 863 and got a good sea trial results. Moreover, the discipline has also made good progresses in archaeological geophysics research in great sites and is at an advanced level in the interdisciplinary field of archaeological science and technology recent years.Research fieldâ…¡: Oil and Gas Geological ExplorationStaff: Prof. Xiao Ancheng, Prof. Wang Xin and Prof. Sun Yongge, etc.Since the mid-20th century, China's oil consumption began to exceed production, energy security, especially oil-gas reserves is critical for sustainable development. Oil-gas exploration is the most important to solve this problem. It has become an urgent issue to research the formation, migration and distribution, survey and exploration of technology of oil-gas, because it has the great theoretical and practical significance.The features of the field includes: (1) focus on the geological setting of oil and gas, the formation of sedimentary basins, basin evolution and basin-filling, covering an extension of different basin types, including the extensional basin groups in eastern part of China and strike-slip and compressional basin groups in the central and western regions; (2) established the structural model of fold-thrust belts and their evolutions, also analyze the formation of hydrocarbon reservoirs and their distribution in foreland basins; (3) combined with numeral simulation by computer graphics and image technology, and established a 3-D model of structural deformation; (4) the application of computer and physical simulation technologies for salt tectonics and related traps, and distribution of oil-gas to provide a theoretical basis for decision-making; (5) explored the typical superimposed basins in geochemistry in western China, including petroleum source comparison with molecular geochemical methods, multiple hydrocarbon generation mechanism, and studied the migration of hydrocarbon kitchen, formation and evolution, effectiveness and contribution of the accumulation; (6) made a series of direct oil and gas exploration and service innovation research during the long-term cooperation with oil companies, such as establishing structure models of the northern margin of southern Tianshan and Qilian thrust belt, which plays a key role in the discovery of oil and gas reservoirs .In summary, the main feature of this research area is the application of multidisciplinary methods to solve the challenges of present petroleum industry. In the research, we combined basic and applied research and promoted the China basin petroleum geology and oil exploration with the National Natural Foundation Projects of China and the National Major Scientific and Technological Projects. Our existing results have already won two provincial awards.III Research field: Exploration and evaluation of mineral resourcesStaff：Prof. Li Zilong, Prof. Shen Zhongyue and Prof. Dong Chuanwan etc.Unique features: (1) Study systematically geological settings and metallogeny. This discipline views the Earth Materials System as a whole, and the study has a good combination between the basic and applied basic studies, the surface and deep part of the earth, field survey and indoor high-precise technique analyses, and macroscopic and microcosmic observation. It focuses on the continental lithosphere, and rich-superrich valuable elements and materials from the interior of the earth as the object of the study. The structure-fluid-rock- and ore-forming processes and episodes from the deep part to surface of the earth will be as the main geological and ore-forming processes; and (2) Better understanding some key fields in the contemporary earth dynamics, and ore-forming system and metallogeny; and building the metallogenic dynamic models of orogenic belt and intracontinental tectonic setting, and integrated and unique investigated system for mineral resource through the precise and deep study for mineral phase, composition, texture, forming time and genetic mechanism and model.Superiority: The Central Asian Orogenic Belt and mineralization, Tarim Permian Large Igneous Province and mineralization, Yanshanian magmatic dynamics and metallogeny in Wuyishan Mountain metallogenic belt and Qinhang metallogenic belt in South China plate, Precambrian geology and mineralization in North China craton, and Mesozoic to Cenozoic orogenic belt and mineralization in West America, Japan and SE Asia have been surveying and studying since 1980s. There are a good international cooperation relation with Harvard University and MIT in USA, Tasmania University and University of West Australia, and Japan Geological Survey, Kyushu University and Kobe University; and this will provide a great superiority in the regional comparable study on ore-forming geology and metallogeny such as in the different areas and geological background in the world.IV Research field: Remote Sensing and Spatial Information TechnologyStaff: Prof. Zhang Xiaochan, Prof. Shen Xiaohua and Prof. Zou Lejun, etc.Remote sensing(RS) technology and geographic information systems(GIS) technology featuring with a wide range of spatial dynamics of information acquisition, processing and extraction of thematic information, providing scientific and rapid technical means for  identifying existing resources, rationally developing and utilizing resources based on the protection of the environment, thus have become a focus of national research.China set up the first professional undergraduate major of remote sensing in 1978, established the first National Remote Sensing Geological master degree program in 1983 in Department of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University which then nurtured a large number of backbone personnel of remote sensing,. All graduates of the major working in relevant units across the country and the United States, Canada etc., play an important role in their respective positions.In view of that remote sensing and geographic information systems technology closely related to each other, in the nineties of last century, Institute Of Spatial Information Technology(ISIT) was established based on the original RS major and took RS and spatial information technology as the direction of institute.After thirty years of development, RS and spatial information technology direction research in RS image processing and geographic information system design and application has achieved fruitful results. Researches, which have been completed and are being undertaken, in National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), National 863 Program, Ocean Research Projects (ORP) and Provincial and Ministerial Research Projects are more than 40; in more than 200 academic papers are published at domestic and international journals; published monographs and educational materials include five kinds; won a national invention patent. Achievement of Zhejiang Province Land and Resources Survey and Comprehensive Study Using RS won the 2005 Zhejiang Science and Technology Progress Award.In the discipline field, with the support of the National 863 Program, the Ocean 10th Five-Year Projects and other projects, the Research of Information Technology Exploration of the Sea is the leading domestic level, some research results with international advanced level; some basic researches --- Research in the field Topological Analysis of Massive Spatial Information Overlay Analysis is in international leading level; using RS techniques and GIS technologies for Soil Erosion Monitoring, Geological Hazard Assessment, Land Resource Management, Mining Environment Monitoring, Military Applications and Other Aspects is in leading domestic level.The characteristics of the discipline field are: Using the latest results of RS and satellite detection technology, GIS and GPS technology, carrying out quantitative research of geological field; With the support of computer software platform having self-owned intellectual property rights, carrying out important geological process simulation and prediction, the main researches of which include RS detection of the oil and gas resources, stress and strain quantitative analysis in the tectonic evolution , process simulation and early warning forecasting of geological disasters, ,nonlinear characteristics research of geological processes, 3S supporting system development applied in geological field.