Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
School of Physical Sciences
Department of Geology
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
In a paper published in 2009 Prof Eriksson and his co-authors (including Prof Hannes Rautenbach, Head of the Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology) were able to demonstrate that physically formed features in the Transvaal sedimentary succession challenge assertions about the Great Oxidation based on geochemical data, and suggest that this event might rather reflect unusual conditions in the formation and breakup of Precambrian supercontinents (containing a set of cratons, such as Kaapvaal), rather than aberrations in palaeo-atmospheric compositions.
Further research together with Prof Wlandy Altermann focused on interpretation of microbial remains in 2.5 to 2.6 billion year-old carbonate rocks of the Transvaal succession, in a joint project between UP and the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. A recent publication on mass production of carbonate rocks by cyanobacteria has received much international attention.
Contact person: Prof PG Eriksson.
In a recent paper of fundamental importance for hazard management, a first systematic attempt was made to build a seismogenic model of South African seismic zones. In general, the knowledge of a seismotectonic model is crucial to understanding the origins of seismicity and to construct reliable seismic hazard maps. To date, there has been no such study done for South Africa and this work forms part of a critical step to bring together – digitally – several datasets in a common geographic information system (GIS) platform (geology, geophysics, stress, seismicity, neotectonics, topography, crustal and mantle structure and anisotropy), to understand the significance of datasets for seismotectonic zonation and the limitations of these datasets, and to obtain a reasonable regional model for use in seismic hazard assessments. The knowledge of these seismic zones is important to understand the origins of seismicity in South Africa and to build more accurate seismic hazard maps.
Contact person: Prof A Kijko.
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