Karst and Quaternary Geology Research Group

Members:

1. Dr Elanni Mohd Affendi 
2. Dr Nour El Hidayah Ismail 
3. Dr Nur Iskandar Taib
4. Dr Kamal Solhami Fadzil (Anthropology and Sociology Department, FASSS)
5. Prof Dr Norliza Ibrahim (Faculty of Dentistry, UM)
6. Lim Tze Tshen

Collaborators:

1. University of Chulalongkorn
2. University of Cambridge
3. National Human Evolution Research Centre (CENIEH)
4. MacQuarie University
5. Nanyang Technological University 
6. National Taiwan University
7. Uniersity of Bordeaux
8. Malaysian Cave and Karst Conservancy 

 Research Areas:  

1. Karst morphology
2. Cave paleontology, sediment and speleothem
3. Youngest Toba Tuff
4. Quaternary Paleoclimate
5. Subsurface karst
6. Karst Water
7. Karst slope studies with Terrestial Laser Scanning

Ongoing Grants:

1. Evolutionary dynamics study of Quaternary faunal remains from karstic landscapes of Peninsular Malaysia in relation to socio-cultural historical development of prehistoric and modern day indigenous communities, Universiti Malaya, RM314k.
2. Karst studies and cave paleontology of Merapoh, Pahang, University of Cambridge, RM49k

Findings of Research:

1. First discovery of orangutan fossils in Peninsular Malaysia and Stegodon in Malaysia.
2. Further distribution and geochemical analysis of Youngest Toba Tuff.
3. Karst slopes studies with TLS.

Research Output:

A.  Ongoing Master's students:

1. Amir Hakim Amiruddin
2. Farah Aina Zulkifli
3. Le Hoang Quoc

B.  Completed Ph.D students:

1. Yasamin Kh Ibrahim
2. Riyadh Yassin
3. Ishlahuda Hani Sahak

C. Completed M.Sc. students:

1. Muhammad Afiq Hellmy.

D. Completed Postdoc:

1. Satapat Kumpitak 
2. Norishah Hashim
3. Nur Bakhiah Baharim

Research Field Work Photos:

Publications:

1. Muhammad, R. F,, Muhammad Afiq, A.M.H., Kem, Z. and Nuratiqah, A.R. 2023. Morphology of selected caves on the Batu Caves complex, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia – A preliminary report. Malayan Nature Journal, 75(1): 185-193. 
2. Lim, T.W., A.R. Nuratiqah, Muhammad Fazlee, S., Nik Khairul Amri, N. H., Muhammad, R. F. and Kem. Z. 2023. Notes on the topography of the Batu Caves karst tower, Selangor, Malaysia, with a description of a route to the highest peak and locations of five new caves. Malayan Nature Journal, 75(1): 195-200.
3.  Pearce, N.J., Westgate, J.A., Gualda, G.A., Gatti, E. & Muhammad, R.F. (2020), Tephra glass chemistry provides storage and discharge details of five magma reservoirs which fed the 75 ka Youngest Toba Tuff eruption, northern Sumatra. J. Quaternary Sci., 35: 256-271. doi:10.1002/jqs.3149.
4. Muhammad Afiq Muhammad Ariff Hellmy, Muhammad, R. F., .Mustapha Kamal Shuib, Ng, T. F., Wan Hasiah Abdullah, Aishah Abu Bakar & Kugler, R. (2019) Rock Slope Stability Analysis based on Terrestrial LiDAR on Karst Hills in Kinta Valley Geopark, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana 48(11)(2019): 2595–2604.
5. Ishlahuda Hani Sahak, Lim, T. T, Muhammad, R F, Nur Syimah Izzah Abdullah Thani & Mohammad Amin Abd Aziz (2019). First Systematic Study of Late Pleistocene Rat Fossils from Batu Caves: New Record of Extinct Species and Biogeography Implications. Sains Malaysiana 48(12)(2019): 2613–2622.