Bayat, Klaten – The Geological Engineering Study Program at Diponegoro University (Undip) once again held its most prestigious annual event, Geological Mapping (PEGEL) 2025. This activity took place from August 2–13, 2025, in Bayat, Klaten Regency, and the Southern Mountains region. For students, PEGEL was not just a mandatory lab, but a meaningful journey that tested their knowledge, mental fortitude, and camaraderie.
The event officially opened on August 2, 2025, with remarks from the Study Program Secretary, Yoga Aribowo, ST., MT. The first day began with an excursion to Mount Kampak and a pillow lava outcrop in Jarum Hamlet, Klaten—two classic locations that record the ancient geology of Java. Students practiced landscape reading, lithology observation, and mapping skills in real-world settings.
The following day, participants explored the West Jiwo and East Jiwo tracks. These areas reveal Java’s basement metamorphic rocks, magmatic intrusions, and Eocene limestone. Bayat truly is an “open-air geological museum” that showcases the long history of the formation of Java Island from subduction processes, metamorphism, to ancient volcanic activity.
Independent Mapping: The True Test of Geologists To-Be
August 5th marked the core phase: independent mapping. A total of 157 students were divided into three basecamps: Berbah (UGM’s PIAT), Bayat (Bayat Geology Campus), and Wanagama (Wanagama Forestry Campus). Each student was assigned a 1×1 km plot to map over six days.
Under the scorching sun, sudden downpours, and steep terrain, the students explored outcrops, recorded stratigraphy, measured geological structures, and collected rock samples. In the evening, they summarized their findings to submit to their supervisors, who also regularly conducted field inspections. Each plot held its own mysteries, which the students were challenged to solve with knowledge and perseverance.
Exams, Posters, and a Final Session
After six full days in the field, on August 10, the participants returned to the Bayat Campus to process their data. From rough notes, they created geological maps, geomorphological maps, cross-sections, and reconstructions of the area’s geological history. August 11 included a rock demonstration test and a comprehensive exam to ensure a thorough understanding, followed by poster creation. The event culminated on August 12 with a poster session. Each student presented their mapping results to a panel of examiners. The posters displayed were not only academic achievements but also evidence of their physical and mental efforts in the field. The final day, August 13, 2025, was a time to return home, exhausted and proud. Afterward, the students continued their analysis in Semarang, including map digitization, petrographic analysis, and microfossil analysis.
More Than Just a Practical Work
PEGEL 2025 left a lasting impression on all participants. More than just a field practicum, this activity solidified the identity of aspiring geologists: resilient, persistent, and able to work collaboratively. Like rocks tempered by pressure and time, students are also tempered by the PEGEL experience. They learn not only to read the story of the earth, but also to write the story of their own struggles. With PEGEL 2025, Geological Engineering, Diponegoro University, once again demonstrated its commitment to producing a generation of geologists ready to step among the earth’s surface and uncover the secrets of geology for the future.
