Geological Society of Africa
www.geologicalsocietyofafrica.org
NEWSLETTER - Nr. 8 of 2014 – Annum 4
Contents
GSAF MATTERS
EDITORIAL
THE 3RD YES CONGRESS AND THE 25TH COLLOQUIUM OF AFRICAN GEOLOGY (CAG25)
A SPEECH AT THE 3RD YES CONGRESS OPENING CEREMONY AT THE JULIUS NYERERE INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION CENTRE-JNICC, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA (AUGUST 11.2014)
A SPEECH AT THE CAG25 OPENING CEREMONY AT THE JULIUS NYERERE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
CENTRE-JNICC, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA (AUGUST 14.2014)
IX NATIONAL CONGRESS OF GEOLOGY (PORTUGAL) AND 2ND GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS OF THE PORTUGUESE
SPEAKING COUNTRIES
GSAFOUTREACH
2
2
2
2
4
6
6
NEWS
ABOUT AFRICA
ABOUT THE WORLD
ABOUTSPACE/ASTRONOMY
7
7
10
16
INTERESTING SITES
18
LINKS TO JOURNALS, REVIEWS & NEWSLETTERS
18
EVENTS
IN AFRICA AND ABOUT AFRICA
REST OF THE WORLD
20
20
21
PROFESSIONAL COURSES/WORKSHOPS/SCHOLARSHIPS
233
INTERESTING PHOTOS
244
GEOLOGY OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES/TERRITORIES
25
Edited by
Lopo Vasconcelos
Editor of the GSAf Newsletter
[email protected]
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
1
GSAf MATTERS
Editorial
By Lopo Vasconcelos
(GSAf Newsletter Editor)
The 3rd YES Congress and the 25th Colloquium of African Geology just happened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and we really appreciate the job done by
our Tanzanian colleagues. Spcial thanks to Prof. Mruma,, Dr, Nelson Boniface and Mr. Stephen Nyagondo. Well done!
Two wvents were organized back-to-back, each one with its opening and closing ceremonies as well as its icebreak parties. We were honored with the
presence of the past President of Tanzania, Hon. Benjamin Mkapa, the Vice-President of Tanzania, Hon. Mohamed Garib Bilal, the Prime Minister of
Tanzania, Hon. Mizengo Pinda, the Minister of Energy and Minerals, Prof. Sospeter Muhong (also a past president of GSAf), the Deputy Minister of Energy
and Minerals, Honorable Stephen Masele, and the Mayor of Dar es Salaam, Hon. Said Meck Sadik.
We would like very much to include all speeches given at the meetings, so that all be aware of the importance these political actors give to Earth Sciences,
but time constraints do not allow. We hope we can do it in the next issue.
ooOOoo
September issue will come late next month. I will be involved in a congress here in Maputo during the 1st half of September, and then have another meeting
oversees during the second half of the month. In advance, my apologies.
Wish you all a nice time.
Lopo Vasconcelos
The 3rd YES Congress and the 25th Colloquium of African Geology (CAG25)
By Prof. Aberra Mogessie
(GSAf President)
The 25th Colloquium of African Geology (CAG25) took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 14-16th August 2014, back to back with the 3rd YES Congress
which took place from 11-13th August 2014. This is the first time that the CAG25 and Global YES organized a meeting together where young and senior
earth scientists had a chance to interact and discuss. Apart from the scientific sessions and excursions, we had also the 15 th Geological Society of Africa
Conference which was held on 16th August 2014 from 9-12AM. During this conference we reported the activities of the GSAf since our meeting in Addis
Ababa in January 2013; amended the constitution of the Society, elected some council members (Prof. Wladislaw Altermann to be the new VP of the GSAf
for the Southern African region and Prof. Asfawossen Asrat to be a Treasurer of the Society in addition to his function as VP of the Eastern African region).
After the presentation of the Nigerian Bid by Dr. Gbenga Okunlola, the GSAf General Assembly voted unanimously to hold the next CAG26 in Ibadan,
Nigeria in November 2016.
A speech at the 3rd YES Congress opening ceremony at the Julius Nyerere International
Convention Centre-JNICC, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (August 11.2014)
By Prof. Aberra Mogessie
(GSAf President)
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Bilal, the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania
His Excellency Benjamin William Mkapa, the patron of the IYPE and former President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Honorable Minister, Prof. Sospeter Muhongo, Minister of Mineral and Energy of the United Democratic Republic of Tanzania
Honorable Ministers, Dignitaries, Ambassadors
Prof. Roland Oberhänsli, President of the International Union of Geosciences,
Prof. Elizabeth Kiondo, Tanzanian Representative in UNESCO, Paris
The Chair of 3rd YES and the 25th Colloquium of African Geology and Executive Officer of the Tanzania Geological Surveys, Prof. Abdul Mruma
Mr. Meng Wang, President of YES Network,
Mrs. Elyvin Nkhonjera, Chair YES Africa,
Mr. Stephen Nyagonde, Chair of the Tanzanian YES and Vice Chair of the LOC
Members of the Local and International Organizing committee of this Congress
Invited guests and colleagues
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
2
It is a great honor for me to give this speech as President of the Geological Society of Africa at the 3rd YES Congress organized by the Tanzania
Geological Society and the Tanzania National Committee of the Young Earth Scientists Network (YES)
It was as one of the legacies of the International Year of Planet Earth that the Young Earth Scientists Network was established in 2009 in Peking China and had
its first Congress. This was followed by the second YES Congress in 2012 in Brisbane, Australia during the 34th International Geological Congress. The third
YES Congress is now taking place in 2004, back to back with the 25th Colloquium of African Geology in the African Continent in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
I would like to point out that the whole thing started here, when the Tanzanian Government through its UNESCO Ambassador and support of the Present
Minister of Mineral and Energy of the United Republic of Tanzania, Honorable, Prof. Sospeter Muhongo, got the United Nations to declare the Year 2008
as the year of the International Planet Earth. The former President of the United Republic of Tanzania (who is among us today), the Executive Director of
the IYPE, Prof. Eduardo de Mulder (who is also among us), the then President of the Geological Society of Africa, Prof. Felix Toteu, and important
personalities which I cannot list here inaugurated the IYPE in Arusha, Tanzania in 2008. One can say, that the birth place of the YES Network can be
considered to be Tanzania and it is more than appropriate that we have the third YES Congress, here in Dar es Salaam. The Colloquium of African Geology
has been organized mostly as a stand-alone conference. This is for the first time that we have a back to back Conference with the YES Network and hope
that this will be a chance for the youth and senior geologists to interact and learn from each other. The Geological Society of Africa as an affiliated member
of the International Union of Geosciences (IUGS), has as one of its objectives to support the earth sciences education and research in Africa and thereby
increasing the human capacity of the continent in this field. Therefore, it has been in the forefront of supporting the establishment of National YES Chapters
and also offering moral and financial support to the African YES members to attend the Colloquium of African Geology, in 2011 In Johannesburg, South
Africa, in 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and now in Dar es Salaam. Apart from the YES Network we have also established the Geological Society student
chapters, which we believe, will be established in the future in each African University where there is an Earth Sciences unit. The implementation of the
African Mining Vision of 2009, requires educated young men and women in the earth Sciences, and we have a responsibility to help organizations like the
YES morally, financially and by becoming mentors. I assure you that the Geological Society of Africa will work with the YES Network to fulfill this objective
and hope we will have important deliberations in the next days during the conference.
Thank you
Open ceremony of the 3rd YES Congress, 11.08.2014, chaired by His Excellence the Vice-President of Tanzania, Mr. Foto by L. Vasconcelos.
Closing Ceremony of the 3rd YES, 13.08.2014, cghaired by the Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals, Stephen Masele. Foto by L. Vasconcelos.
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
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A speech at the CAG25 opening ceremony at the Julius Nyerere International Convention
Centre-JNICC, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (August 14.2014)
By Prof. Aberra Mogessie
(GSAf President)
His Excellency Mr. Benjamin William Mkapa, the patron of the IYPE and former President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Honorable Minister, Prof. Sospeter Muhongo, Minister of Mineral and Energy of the United Democratic Republic of Tanzania
Honorable Stephen Masele, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral of the United Democratic Republic of Tanzania
The President of the International Union of Geosciences, Prof. Roland Oberhänsli,
The representative of UNESCO, Dar es Salaam
th
The Chair of the 25 Colloquium of African Geology and Executive Officer of the Tanzania Geological Surveys, Prof. Abdul Mruma
Mr. Meng Wang, President of YES Network and Co-Chair of the meeting,
Mrs. Elyvin Nkhonjera, Chair of YES Africa,
Members of the Local and International Organizing committee of this Colloquium
Invited guests and colleagues
It is a great honor for me to give this speech as President of the Geological Society of Africa under whose auspices the Colloquium has been organized by
the Tanzania Geological Society and the Tanzania National Committee of the Young Earth Scientists Network (YES)
The "Colloquium of African Geology" (CAG) is a major biannual meeting of the Geological Society of Africa where earth scientists have opportunities to
present their research results on topics related to Africa and surrounding areas on a continental and international scale. This Colloquium, has been hosted
by European countries 17 times and 7 times by African countries. It is worth mentioning that this event has never taken place in Tanzania, since the
establishment of the Geological Society of Africa in Addis Ababa in 1973.
Based on the decision of the 14th Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) Conference held on 14th January 2013 at the Millenium Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the
25th Colloquium of African Geology (CAG25) as well as the 15th Conference of the Geological Society of Africa were supposed to be conducted in Salvador da
Bahia in Brazil in September 2014. However, due to administrative problems raised by the Brazilian Geological Society it became difficult to organize such a
meeting in Brazil. We therefore, thank honorable Minister, and the former President of the Geological Society of Africa, a colleague and a good friend Prof.
Sospeter Muhongo for accepting our request to organize the CAG25 back to back with the 3rd YES Congress in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Tanzania YES
National Chapter and Tanzania Geological Society (TGS) have taken the responsibility to organize this conference on behalf of the Global YES Network and
the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf).The theme of the Colloquium is “Earth Science for improving Livelyhood in Africa”
Significant effort has been made by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to organize this joint event. The President of the GSAf and the Vice President
for the Eastern African region of the GSAf, Prof. Asfawossen Asrat (from Ethiopia) and the Councilor for the Eastern African Region, Prof. Beneah Odhiambo
(from Kenya) were assigned to oversee the preparation of this event on behalf of our Society.
What are the objectives of our Society and what have we done up to now?
The main objectives of the Society were and are among others:
1-To promote the understanding of earth sciences in the African continent;
2- To promote the training and development of African earth scientists, thereby assisting African states to establish the manpower needed to enable the
continent´s wealth of resources to be developed for African benefit; and
3- To provide a forum for discussion and dissemination of information and to promote cooperation among scientists and associations engaged in African
geology, across national boundaries.
Currently the GSAf, has a number of active members of African origin and from all over the world who are interested and working on African Geology, and
is the biggest and most comprehensive Geological Society in Africa. The Society is managed by elected Council members (including a President, Secretary,
Membership Secretary, Treasurer, Information Manager and five Vice Presidents/Councilors representing the five regions of Africa) based on a written
Constitution. It has its permanent secretariat at the Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and has become an international NGO thanks to
the recognition by the Ethiopian Government based on a Memorandum of Agreement signed by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and the
President of the GSAf in 2012 in Addis Ababa.
The Society has been active in mobilizing African professionals of geology and related subjects in harnessing the natural resources of Africa, and serves
as a reliable and rich source of geological information needed by end users. As such it has organized 24 colloquia of African Geology in various parts of
the world, and we are now attending the 25th Colloquium here in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. These colloquia served as the official venues for announcing
and approval of major scientific breakthroughs in African Geology; moreover, helped to coordinate the publication of major geological results including the
official Geological Map of Africa, and publishes a highly respected Scientific Journal- The Journal of African Earth Sciences (AJES)-published by Elsevier.
For example, the results of the Scientific presentations at the 24th Colloquium of African Geology (in January 2013) are now published in a special volume
of the AJES. Thanks goes to the guest editors: Professors, Asfawossen Asrat, Lopo Vasconcelos, Hassan Helmy and Jean-Paul Liegeois, Tsehaie Woldai
and the Journal Chief Editors Prof. Ericsson and Prof. Sospeter Muhongo as well as the publisher Elsevier.
The GSAf is conducting its activities by networking and partnering with related institutions including the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS),
UNESCO, Universities, African Geological Surveys, governmental and nongovernmental institutions involved in investigating and producing geological
resources in Africa. To this effect, the Society has signed memorandum of agreement with the Geological Society of America (GSA), the American Geological
Institute (AGI), the International Association of Sedimentalogists (IAS), the International Association of Geoethics (IAGETH), the Earth Science Matters
Foundation (ESM) and acts as a member of the executive Board or Senior Advisor in some of these organizations. During the CAG24 in Addis Ababa, UNESCOGSAf-AAWG launched the African Network of Earth Science Institutions (ANSI) in order to support the UNESCO Earth Science Education initiative in Africa. It
is also important to note that the IUGS-Commission on Geoeducation (COGE) in collaboration with the GSAf also presented the Earth Science Road Map, so
called GEO-ERA program for Africa also during the CAG24 and there is a follow up workshop here in Dar es Salaam during the CAG25.
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
4
The GSAf, in line with its founding objectives, will be committed to the service of our continental bodies, the African Union and UNECA, by providing
accurate information on geological resources in Africa and by serving as the best channel to mobilizing African professionals of Geology in order to achieve
the African Mining Vision of 2009. We believe that the Society’s activities and products will help to formulate best policies and guidelines on harnessing the
immense geological resources of Africa, and on keeping Africa an environmentally sustainable continent. We are pleased that the UNECA, AUC, UNDP
and AFDB have established the African Mineral resources Development Center (AMDC) in Addis Ababa in 2013, in order to facilitate the implementation
of the AMV. I am happy to inform you that the GSAf had a prominent place in the expert Group Meeting we had in early July 2014 at the UNECA in Addis
Ababa. We are also in the Advisory Board of the African Minerals Geoscience Initiative (AMGI) the so called World Bank “One Billion Dollar Map for Africa”
which is considered to be the first AMV project that will be implemented in cooperation with the AUC-UNECA-UNDP-AFDB, the World Bank and other
Earth Science organizations, like ours .
Our society has achieved a lot during the last years engaging and partnering with different organizations I mentioned above and those I am listing
below:AEGOS (Africa-European Georesources Observation System), GIRAF (Geoscience Information in Africa), ACP (African Carribean and Pacific States
Secretariat), SEAMIC (Southern and Eastern African Mineral Information Center, Dar Es Salaam), YES (Young Earth Scientists), AAS (African Academy
of Sciences especially on climate change and the new program – Solar Radiation Governance Management Initiative (SRGMI), TWAS (The Academy of
Sciences for the developing world), IYPE (International Year of Planet Earth and its legacy ESM- Earth Science Matters Foundation) on matters related to
earth science education and research, The organization of African Geological Surveys (OAGS) and EuroGeosurveys (EGS) in subjects related to
Geological Mapping in Africa.
This is a decade of African Geology which we started with the organization of the 23rd Colloquium of African Geology at the University of Johannesburg in
South Africa in January 2011 followed by the meeting we had in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2013 (CAG24) and the CAG25, we have now in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania. It should be noted that South Africa will organize two of the largest meetings in the Earth Sciences in the world in 2014 (the International
Mineralogical Association IMA2014 in the Sandton Conference center in Johannesburg, Sept. 1-5, 2014)) and the International Geological Congress (IGC
35 in Pretoria in 2016) where several Tausend participants will be expected. The Geological Society of Africa is a partner in these activities and we are
happy that a number of South African delegates are among us to advertise for these upcoming conferences and we welcome them at this Colloquium in
Dar es Salaam and promise the support of our Society during the preparation of these conferences which will have a lasting impact in the development of
earth science education and research in the African continent.
I would like to acknowledge the support of the present and past GSAf Council members of the five different regions of Africa and the GSAf Goodwill
Ambassadors in the different countries who have contributed their share in moving the society forward. However, I would like to specially thank two council
members for their outstanding service to our society: Prof. Lopo Vasconcelos, former Vice President of the Society for the Southern Africa region and
present editor of our monthly newsletter for his unreserved service to the Society and for the time and energy he is spending to publish an excellent
newsletter of the Society which has become our flagship and evidence of our activities. The other is Prof. Asfawossen Asrat, Vice President of the Eastern
African Region, who is responsible for the GSAf Secretariat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a legal representative of the GSAf President. He was the driving
force along with the President of the Ethiopian Geoscience and Mineral Engineering Association (Dr. Girma W/Tensae), who have worked hard with me to
get the legal status for our Society.
Finally I want to thank the LOC Chair Prof. Abdul Mruma and members of the Local Organizing Committee for their hard work and all sponsors for their
generous financial and material support for the organization of these meetings.
I thank those who have supported us during the years and appeal to all, that financial, political and moral support is strongly needed in the coming years if
the Society has to achieve its objectives, strengthen its secretariat and support the development of Earth Science education, research, networking and
dissemination in order to develop the mineral and energy resources of Africa in a sustainable way and contribute to the integrated development of Africa.
I wish all of us a successful scientific and cultural meeting in Dar es Salaam
Open Ceremony of CAG25, Chaired by the former President of Tanzania, Hon. Benjamin Mkapa. 14.08.2014. Foto by L. Vasconcelos.
Closing Ceremony of CAG25, chaired by his Excellence the Prime Minister of Tanzania, Hon. Mzengo Pinda. 16.08.2014. Foto by L. Vasconcelos.
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
5
IX National Congress of Geology (Portugal) and 2nd Geological Congress of the
Portuguese Speaking Countries
By LopoVasconcelos
GSAf Newsletter Editor
The IX National Congress of Geology (IXCNG) and
Geological Congress of the Portuguese Speaking Countries (2CoGePLiP) was held in Porto,
Portugal, between the 20th and 24th of July, 2014. Besides Portuguese participants, several geoscientists of the Portuguese Speaking Community (Angola,
Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor Loro-Sae) attended the meeting, which had more than 300 participants.
There were 179 oral presentations and 118 poster presentations, covering 13 topics of the Geosciences. Also 4 pre-event courses were organized, as well
as 5 pre-event excursions.
Six plenary talks were given at the beginning of each period of the sessions, one of them given by me on Geological Resources of Mozambique.
I also co-chaired a full 2-day session on “Geosciences for Society”, with 32 oral presentations.
During the event, a special issue of stamps was launched to commemorate the International Year of Crystallography. A philatelic exposition was displayed
on the topic “The world of minerals through stamps” by Prof. FredericoSodré Borges from the Porto University.
Our Goodwill Ambassador to Portugal, Prof. Eduardo Ferreira da Silva, also attended the meeting, with several presentations.
2nd
Keep up-to-date on the latest happenings in geoscience, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine. EARTH is your source
for the science behind the headlines, giving readers definitive coverage on topics from natural resources, natural disasters and the
environment to space exploration and paleontology. Order your subscription to EARTH online at www.earthmagazine.org.
GSAfOutreach
GSA finthe Web:
Website of the GSAf: http://www.geologicalsocietyofafrica.org
FaceBook of the GSAf: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Geological-Society-of-Africa-GSAf/187410537966092
GSAf Affiliations With Other Organizations
IUGS-International Union of Geological Sciences: http://www.iugs.org/
AGI-American Geosciences Institute: http://www.americangeosciences.org
GSA-Geological Society of America: http://www.geosociety.org/
EarthScience Matters Foundation: http://earthsciencematters.org/
MoU’s of GSAf with other Organizations
International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS): http://www.sedimentologists.org/
Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com/
International Association of Geoethics (IAGETH): http://www.icog.es/iageth/
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Foto by L. Vasconcelos
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
6
NEWS
About Africa
Saharan dust is key to formation of Bahamas' Great Bank, study finds
This
is
the
Great
Bank.Credit: NASA.
Bahama
July 24, 2014, University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of Marine &
Atmospheric Science.
A new study suggests that Saharan
dust played a major role in the
formation of the Bahamas islands.
Researchers from the University of
Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of
Marine and Atmospheric Science
showed that iron-rich Saharan dust
provides the nutrients necessary
for specialized bacteria to produce the island chain's carbonate-based
foundation.
UM Rosenstiel School Lewis G. Weeks Professor Peter Swart and colleagues
analyzed the concentrations of two trace elements characteristic of
atmospheric dust -- iron and manganese -- in 270 seafloor samples collected
along the Great Bahama Bank over a three-year period. The team found that
the highest concentrations of these trace elements occurred to the west of
Andros Island, an area which has the largest concentration of whitings, white
sediment-laden bodies of water produced by photosynthetic cyanobacteria.
"Cyanobacteria need 10 times more iron than other photosynthesizers
because they fix atmospheric nitrogen," said Swart, lead author of the study.
"This process draws down the carbon dioxide and induces the precipitation of
calcium carbonate, thus causing the whiting. The signature of atmospheric
nitrogen, its isotopic ratio is left in the sediments."
Swart's team suggests that high concentrations of iron-rich dust blown across
the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara is responsible for the existence of the
Great Bahama Bank, which has been built up over the last 100 million years
from sedimentation of calcium carbonate. The dust particles blown into the
Bahamas' waters and directly onto the islands provide the nutrients necessary
to fuel cyanobacteria blooms, which in turn, produce carbonate whitings in the
surrounding waters.
Persistent winds across Africa's 3.5-million square mile Sahara Desert lifts
mineral-rich sand into the atmosphere where it travels the nearly 5,000-mile
northwest journey towards the U.S. and Caribbean. The paper, titled "The
fertilization of the Bahamas by Saharan dust: A trigger for carbonate
precipitation?" was published in the early online edition of the journal Geology.
The paper's authors include Swart, Amanda Oehlert, Greta
Mackenzie,GregorEberlifromtheUMRosenstielSchool'sDepartmentofMarineGe
osciencesandJohnReijmerofVUUniversityAmsterdamintheNetherlands.
Athttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140724182933.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=ema
il&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fearth_climate+%28Earth+%26+Climate+News+--+ScienceDaily%29
Exxaro to acquireTotal’s South African coal mines for $472m
By: Martin Creamer, 28th July 2014.
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Black-controlled mining company
Exxaro is to acquire the South African coal mines of French petroleum giant
Total to create coal assets with far stronger black economic empowerment
(BEE)credentials through the augmentaion of earlier BEE partnerships.
The JSE-listed Exxaro, headed by CEO Sipho Nkosi, has entered into a
binding sale and purchase agreement with Total South Africa, the majority
shareholder of the Dorstfontein and Forzando coal mines, and South Africa’s
fifth largest coal producer.
Exxaro will fund the dollar-based acquisition by making use of its existing
corporate debt facilities.
“The consolidation of ownership of coal assets within South Africa is a
welcome opportunity,” said Nkosi.
The mines and undeveloped coal assets, which will be bought for $472-million,
are all located in the Witbank coal basin in Mpumalanga.
Last year Total sold 4.5-million tons of coal to India and China from the
Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) as well as into South Africa’s domestic
market.
While Exxaro will be buying 74% of Dorstfontein and Forzando, the remaining
26% is owned by the black-controlled Mmakau Mining, which will render the
mines far more black controlled should the deal be ratified.
Total also owns 49% of the currently non-operative Tumelo coal mine, with
the remaining BEE shareholding also held by Mmakau.
In the mix, too, is 51% of the undeveloped Eloff thermal coal resource.
Total’s mines have lives of more than 20 years and a resource base of 1 498million tons of coal in the ground and 395-million tons of of run-of-mine coal
resources, all close to Exxaro’s existing Witbank operations.
Exxaro sees its investment in coal assets as a core part of its diversified mining
portfolio and believes that it will be able to leverage its extensive experience
in coal mining to unlock additional value from the existing Total operations and
the Eloff greenfield project.
Exxaro is currently the fourth-largest exporter of coal from South Africa and
the acquisition will provide it with access to an additional 4.09-million tons a
year of primary phase one-to-three RBCT entitlement.
Exxaro currently leases entitlement from other operators in the industry in
order to meet its export requirements.
Access to additional allocation could enable Exxaro to reconfigure and
expedite its development plans for current brownfield and greenfield projects
in the Waterberg region by either increasing the scale of existing operations
or changing planned projects to multi-product mines.
It is anticipated that coal from the Waterberg can be used to replace the rapidly
diminishing thermal coal being supplied to Eskom from existing Mpumalanga
coal mines.
Exxaro currently owns the only operating coal mine in the Waterberg region,
Grootegeluk, and has various other potential greenfield projects that it plans
to develop in the region, including its large-scale Thabametsi project.
Having access to additional primary RBCT export allocation will facilitate
Exxaro’s commitment to the development of these projects, potentially as
multi-product mines.
All risk and reward will transfer to Exxaro retroactively from January 1 this
year.
Exxaro has agreed to pay $386.5-million for the issued share capital with the
equity consideration increased 3% a year from January 1 next year until the
closing date of the acquisition.
Implementation is subject to the Competition Authorities’ and Mineral
Resources Ministry's consent in terms of Section 11 of the Mineral and
Petroleum Resources Development Act, No 28 of 2002.
The South African Reserve Bank must okay the foreign exchange and the
RBCT board approve the changed port allocation.
The drop-dead date of six months after the date of signature can be extended
twice.
Rand Merchant Bank, legal adviser Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa and
Deutsche Securities are facilitating the transaction.
Editedby:CreamerMediaReporter
Athttp://www.miningweekly.com/article/exxaro-to-acquire-totals-south-african-coal-mines-for-472m-2014-07-28
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
7
Mali cancels 130 mining permits after sector audit
By:Reuters. 01.08. 2014.
BAMAKO – Mali has cancelled 130 mining permits, about 30% of existing
permits in the gold-producing West African nation, in a drive to clean up the
sector, a mines ministry official said on Thursday.
The new government said in September that it will carry out a complete
inventory of existing mining contracts, titles and licenses and was ready to
renegotiate permits that were not in the country's interest.
The cancelled licences include a range of permits covering a surface area of
about 13 000 km2 (5 000 square miles), but do not involve mines already in
production.
"It is the result of the inventory that was launched a few months ago by the
department, 130 permits, that is about 30% of all total permits have been
annulled," said Hassimi Sidibe, a technical adviser in the ministry told Reuters.
He added that the cancelled permits include those held by Malians as well as
foreigners and targeted those where no development has taken place.
A statement by the mines ministry said the cancellation would effectively
unfreeze those permits and allow the government to issue them to other
investors with the technical and financial ability to pursue explorations.
Gold production in Mali, Africa's third biggest gold producer after South Africa
and Ghana, hit 67.4 t in 2013 due to a growth in artisanal mining.
Nine companies including Randgold Resources, Anglogold Ashanti and
Resolute Mining currently have operations in the country which has estimated
reserves of about 609 tonnes in 2014.
Editedby:Reuters
Athttp://www.miningweekly.com/article/mali-cancels-130-mining-permits-after-sector-audit-2014-08-01
Arcelor Mittal to buy stake in Guinea iron-ore project
By:Reuters.1stAugust2014
BRUSSELS – ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, said on Friday it
had signed deals to purchase stakes in an iron ore project in Guinea as it
pushes to raise its mining output and leverage its existing presence in the
region.
ArcelorMittal said in a statement that it would buy a 43.5% stake in Euronimba
Limited from Billiton Guinea, a unit of BHP Billiton , and a 13% stake from
Compagnie Francaise de Mines et Metaux, a unit of Areva .
Euronimba holds a 95% indirect interest in the Mount Nimba iron ore project,
a deposit with an estimated 935-million tonnes of direct shipped ore (DSO)
with an average grade of 63.1% of iron. DSO needs only relatively simple
crushing and screening before it can be used to make steel.
The site is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from ArcelorMittal's mine in Liberia.
The company should be able to use its Liberian railroad and port facilities,
meaning that its capital expenditure would be much lower than otherwise the
case, Chief Financial Officer Aditya Mittal said.
He added that approval for exporting ore from Guinea to Liberia was critical to
the acquisition.
The deals would give ArcelorMittal 56.5% of Euronimba and Newmont
LaSource the remaining 43.5%, but ArcelorMittal has granted Newmont the
option of owning equal stakes.
ArcelorMittal did not give financial details, but said the deal was subject to
certain conditions, including merger control clearance and approvals from the
government of Guinea.
Asked about possible interest in the Simandou iron ore mining project in
southeastern Guinea, Mittal said:
"Mount Nimba is very interesting because it is close to our existing operations.
It is 40 kilometres away, almost like an adjacent deposit. Simandou is much
further away. Reading between the lines, you get a sense of our interest level."
Athttp://www.miningweekly.com/article/arcelormittal-to-buy-stake-in-guinea-iron-ore-project-2014-08-01
Anadarko-led Rovuma project stalls due to technical problems onshore Mozambique
Submitted by Paddy Harris on 19th August 2014
Drilling operations have encountered start-up and equipment challenges
resulting in a delay of approximately 45 days in drilling the Tembo-1 well
at the Anadarko-operated Rovuma Onshore Concession in Mozambique
On June 19, 2014 drilling operations commenced on the Tembo-1 exploration
well in the Rovuma Onshore Concession in northern Mozambique but
technical problems have caused unexpected delays according to Rovuma
partner, Wentworth Resources.
The Tembo-1 well is targeting mid-Cretaceous sands with secondary targets
in the upper Jurassic. Tembo-1 has a planned total depth of 4,250 meters
True Vertical Depth Sub Sea and is expected to take between 60 and 90 days
to complete. An update on drilling operations will be provided after drilling
operations have been fully completed.
To date there have been two wells drilled in the Rovuma Onshore Concession
including the Mocimboa-1 well, which encountered oil and natural gas shows
in the Cretaceous and is located approximately 17 kilometres to the northeast
of the Tembo-1 well.
Following completion of drilling the Tembo-1 exploration well, the partners
plan to mobilise the drilling rig to the second well, Kifaru-1, located in the
northern section of the Onshore Rovuma Block, adjacent to and 12 kilometres
south of Wentworth’s Mnazi Bay Concession in Tanzania.
"We are very pleased with the progress being made with construction of the
government sponsored pipeline project which is on track to be completed and
commissioned during Q1 2015 as planned,” said Geoff Bury, Wentworth
managing director.
“We continue to work with our Mnazi Bay partners and representatives of the
government of Tanzania to finalise the GSA [Gas Supply Agreement] covering
natural gas deliveries to the new pipeline, and while this process has taken
much longer than envisioned, we believe we have made significant progress
towards reaching a conclusion in the best interests of all parties involved. We
are unable to say exactly when the GSA will be finalised and signed, and thank
our shareholders for their continued patience.
“Securing the USD 26 million credit facility is another positive step towards the
future developments at Mnazi Bay, where the funds will be used primarily for
field infrastructure and drilling of one development well. Pre-planning of these
projects has commenced with full implementation taking place following
signing the GSA to enable us to deliver first gas in Q1 2015.”
Wentworth also commented on its nearby operations in Tanzania saying that
acquisition of 315 kilometres of conventional 2D onshore seismic data over
the prospective areas of the Mnazi Bay Concession Tanzania expected to be
completed in Q3. Processing and interpretation of this new seismic data during
2014 is expected to support future appraisal, development and exploration
drilling which is anticipated to commence in 2015.
At
http://www.oilandgastechnology.net/upstream-news/anadarko-led-rovuma-project-stalls-due-technicalproblems-onshore-mozambique
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
8
Mozambique Passes Petroleum Law and Tax Break for Eni, Anadarko
In Oil & Companies News 18/08/2014
Mozambique’s lawmakers approved petroleum laws that open the way for new
oil and gas bids as well as a special tax break for offshore fields operated by
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) and Eni SpA (ENI) to aid their development.
The oil and gas industry legislation states that at least 25 percent of gas
produced must be for local consumption. This law and a bill on the taxation of
the Rovuma-1 and Rovuma-4 areas were approved yesterday in parliament
in the capital, Maputo.
The southeast African nation’s offshore fields may hold enough gas to meet
global demand for more than two years, according to Empresa Nacional de
Hidrocarbonetos, the state-owned oil company that holds stakes in the
Rovuma-1 deposit operated by Anadarko and in the Eni fields. The fuel will
feed liquefied natural gas export plants for shipment to world markets.
The government is finalizing the process for new oil and gas bids and will
conclude this by the end of the year, Mineral Resources Minister Esperanca
Bias said. “We were waiting for the petroleum law to be approved,” she said
in an interview. “Now we have the tool we were seeking for new bids because
those must be regulated by the new bill.”
While the new bill enables Eni and Anadarko to pay less tax, the final
percentages have yet to be released, Bias said.
“The bill was passed and despite waiting for some corrections after final
approval, we feel comfortable because it will help to attract move investments
and develop gas projects protecting the investors and their investments,” she
said. “The value of the investments in Area 1 and 4 are big and we need to
give comfort to investors for gas-project development.”
Source: Bloomberg. At http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/mozambique-passes-petroleum-law-andtax-break-for-eni-anadarko/
Mozambique gas play could extend to Comoros
08/18/2014. NAIROBI, Kenya – ION Geoventures has completed acquiring
an additional 2,330 km (1,448 mi) of 2D seismic for Bahari Resources and
Discover Exploration offshore the Union of the Comoros.
The license area, which covers blocks 35, 36, and 37 and totals around 18,000
sq km (6,950 sq mi), is in the western part of the Comoros and is outboard of
the giant gas finds in Mozambique Areas 1 and 4.
The new survey follows ratification in March of the companies’ production-sharing
contract by the National Assembly of the Comoros and the earlier acquisition of
1,570 km (976 mi) of ION’s East AfricaSPAN 2D seismic survey.
Bahari/Discover now have a data-set of more than 3,900 km (2,423 mi).
Interpretation to date suggests the reservoir play fairway that hosts the gas
deposits off Mozambique extends into the Comoros license area.
Peter Wakeling, CEO of Bahari Resources, said: “We are on track to exceed our
total work commitment within the first year of our initial four-year exploration period
and to have set the stage for a 3D seismic and drilling campaign.”
At http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/2014/08/mozambique-gas-play-could-extend-to-comoros.html
Tongo final bulk sample grade 49% higher than previous estimates
By: Leandi Kolver, 19th August 2014
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The final bulk sample grade at Aimlisted diamond development company Stellar Diamonds’ Tongo kimberlite
project, in Sierra Leone, has exceeded 178 carats per hundred tonnes (cpht),
a 49% increase on the 120 cpht applied in the current resource estimate of
1.1-million carats.
Stellar CE Karl Smithson noted in a statement on Tuesday that the company
had achieved its objective of collecting a further 1 000 ct parcel for the
diamond grade and valuation modelling of Tongo dyke 1 as part of the
project’s ongoing feasibility work.
“Tongo continues to generate excellent results, further underpinning the
economic potential of this kimberlite diamond project. It is highly encouraging
to note the substantial increase in grade to 179 cpht, which has resulted from
reprocessing the tailings material,” he said.
During the dyke 1 bulk sampling process, a total of 1 621 t of diluted kimberlite
and granite was collected from the bulk sample trench. A total of 661.47 t of
kimberlite had been processed, having yielded 1 181.78 ct of diamonds.
The diamond parcel, which included 53 diamonds larger than 1 ct, with the
two largest stones being 6.7 ct and 4.6 ct, would now undergo valuation and
modelling, with the results expected by early September, Smithson said,
adding that the company would then aim to issue a revised financial model
and updated resource statement shortly thereafter.
The company stated that the revised resource statement, which was targeted
for October, was expected to show an increase from the current 1.1-million
carat resource estimate.
EBOLA
Meanwhile, Stellar stated that it “noted with concern” the escalation of the
Ebola virus in West Africa.
Therefore, as bulk sampling had been completed and it was now the height of
the rainy season in Sierra Leone, the company had taken the decision to
pause the Tongo work programme and reduce the presence of staff on the
project pending results from the current studies.
The company added that personnel who remained on site were subject to
ongoing and stringent daily health checks, controls and travel restrictions.
Edited by: Chanel de Bruyn
At http://www.miningweekly.com/article/tongo-final-bulk-sample-grade-49-higher-than-current-resource-estimategrade-2014-08-19
Otherstories
 Junior miner’s optimism for Mozambique projects boosted.by:Keith Campbell .25t hJuly 2014 http://www.miningweekly.com/article/junior-miners-optimism-for-mozambique-projects-boosted-201407-25
 Metals of Africa to increase Mozambique tenement footprint. Thursday, August 21, 2014 by Proactive Investors. http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/57068/metals-of-africa-toincrease-mozambique-tenement-footprint-57068.html
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
9
About the World
Waves of rock
Shales typically are colored due to a combination of the minerals present and
the amount of organic material in them. Okinawa is made up mostly of
sedimentary rocks that vary in age from the Mesozoic (up to 250 million years
old) to the present. These rocks have been squeezed and thrusted upwards
as well in order to reach the surface. The color in these rocks could be a result
of some interesting combination of organic materials and minerals, or perhaps
more likely it could be a result of some metamorphism. When rocks are
metamorphosed in island-arc conditions, one of the terms for a phase
assemblage produced is actually blueschist. Just guessing; these could be
blueschist grade rocks.
-JBB
This image was taken looking down on a beach in Okinawa. The rocks are Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/okinawa-soba/11019278586/(Creative commons)
Readmore:
interbedded sandstones (white layers) and shales (blue layers)
The layers here are almost flat. The wavy patterns are the result of erosion; http://pubs.usgs.gov/fedgov/70039235/report.pdf
http://www.dc.ogb.go.jp/hokudamu/e/summary.html
as the ocean crashes in, rocks erode in at different points in a complicated At Earth Story FBpage
pattern. A viewer looking down on that pattern will then see a complex figure https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=719035061490874&set=a.352867368107647.80532.352857924775258
&type=1&theater
like this one created out of even flat-lying layers.
Four-winged flying dinosaur unearthed in China
An artist's impression of the new
species
of
four-winged,
microraptor
dinosaur
Changyuraptor yangi. Illustration:
Stephanie Abramowicz/Dinosaur
Institute, NHM
A new species of prehistoric,
four-winged dinosaur discovered
in China may be the largest flying
reptile of its kind.
The well-preserved, complete skeleton of the dinosaur Changyuraptor yangi
features a long tail with feathers 30cm in length – the longest ever seen on a
dinosaur fossil. The feathers may have played a major role in flight control,
say scientists in the latest issue of Nature Communications, in particular
allowing the animal to reduce its speed to land safely.
The 125m-year-old fossil, believed to be an adult, is completely covered in
feathers, including long feathers attached to its legs that give the appearance
of a second set of wings or "hind wings". It is the largest four-winged dinosaur
ever found, 60% larger than the previous record holder, Microraptor
zhaoianus, in the family of dinosaurs known as microraptors.
These beasts were smaller versions of their closely related, larger cousins,
the velociraptors made famous in the Jurassic Park movies. They belong to
an even wider group including the king of all dinosaurs,Tyrannosaurus rex. At
1.3 metres long and weighing 4kg, the meat-eating C. yangi is one of the
largest members of the microraptor family, which tended to weigh 1kg or less.
Microraptors, which are close relatives of modern birds, had many anatomical
features that are now only seen in birds, such as hollow bones, nesting
behavior, feathers and possibly flight. They were dinosaurs rather than
pterosaurs, the more well known flying prehistoric reptiles.
"C. yangi was [like] a big turkey with a really long tail," said Dr Alan Turner
from Stony Brook University, one of the authors of the paper. "We don't know
for sure if C. yangi was flying or gliding, but we can sort of piece together this
bigger model by looking at what its tail could do. Whether or not this animal
could fly is part of a bigger puzzle and we're adding a piece to that puzzle."
The fossil was discovered in Liaoning province, northeastern China, an area
noted for the large number of feathered dinosaurs found over the past decade,
including the first widely acknowledged feathered dinosaur,Sinosauropteryx
prima, in 1996.
Before this study, it was thought that the small size of microraptors was a key
adaptation needed for flight, but the discovery of C. yangi suggests that aerial
ability was not restricted to smaller animals in this group.
Athttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/15/largest-four-winged-dinosaurchangyuraptor-yangi
We’re in the early days of Earth’s sixth great extinction, say biologists
JUL29,2014.
Since1500,morethan320landanimalshavegoneextinct.Populationsofther
emainingspeciesshowa25percentaveragedecline.
An international team of scientists cautions that the loss and decline of animals
is contributing to what appears to be the early days of the planet’s sixth mass
biological extinction event.
Since 1500, more than 320 terrestrial vertebrates have become extinct.
Populations of the remaining species show a 25 percent average decline in
abundance. The situation is similarly dire for invertebrate animal life.
And while previous extinctions have been driven by natural planetary
transformations or catastrophic asteroid strikes, the current die-off can be
associated to human activity, say the researchers.
Across vertebrates – animals with backbones – 16 to 33 percent of all species
are estimated to be globally threatened or endangered. Large animals –
including elephants, rhinoceroses, polar bears and countless other species
worldwide – face the highest rate of decline.
Larger animals tend to have lower population growth rates and produce fewer
offspring. They need larger habitat areas to maintain viable populations. Their
size and meat mass make them easier and more attractive hunting targets for
humans.
Invertebrates are in trouble as well, say the scientists. Human population has
doubled in the past 35 years. In the same period, the number of invertebrate
animals – such as beetles, butterflies, spiders and worms – has decreased by
45 percent.
As with larger animals, the loss is driven primarily by loss of habitat and global
climate disruption.
The research is published in the journalScience.
At
http://earthsky.org/earth/were-in-the-early-days-of-earths-sixth-great-extinction-saybiologists?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=5bed403523EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-5bed403523-393647361
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
10
Aquarius and Salt
acquiredAugust25,2013
Soil moisture—the water contained within and between soil particles—is an
important part of Earth’s water cycle. It is essential for plant life, and it influences
weather and climate. Acquiring global observations of this moisture and how it
fluctuates with seasons and weather events could help drought monitoring, climate
models, and flood prediction. It also could inform water management decisions and
aid in predictions of agricultural productivity.
With that in mind, scientists have been working hard to develop remote sensing tools to
measure soil moisture on a uniform and globally consistent scale. Since 2009, the
European Space Agency has been operating the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity
(SMOS) satellite, and later this year NASA will launch the Soil Moisture Active
Passive(SMAP) satellite. In between, scientists have found a way to supplement those
measurements with data from a satellite that was intended for something else.
The map above shows moisture in the top 5 centimeters (2 inches) of soil as
observed by NASA’s Aquarius instrument in August 2013. Aquarius was launched
in 2011 aboard Argentina’s Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC-D) with the
primary purpose of studying the salt content of ocean surface waters. Aquarius has
had great success measuring salinity with its microwave radiometer, and
researchers led by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) figured out
that they could retrieve soil moisture data as well.
Soil naturally radiates microwaves, and the Aquarius sensor can detect
the microwave signal that subtly varies with changes in the wetness of
the soil. Aquarius takes eight days to complete each worldwide survey,
though there are some limitations. The instrument’s 100-kilometer-wide
(60-mile) footprint prevents it from covering small islands, coastlines,
and narrow landmasses such as Baja California or Italy. Also, the dense
tree canopy of the Amazon rainforest distorts the microwave signal, and
snow and ice block it altogether. The areas where the microwave
signals are difficult to interpret are shown in dark gray in the map above.
“There's a lot of precipitation data in the U.S. and Europe, but in other
countries it gets pretty sparse,” said Tom Jackson, a hydrologist with
USDA who led the Aquarius soil moisture effort. “By using soil moisture
readings, we can better monitor the condition of soils." USDA and other
agencies use this information to improve crop forecasts, which helps
farmers and markets adjust prices according to worldwide production
and allows relief agencies to plan for food emergencies.
Having multiple missions that simultaneously measure the wetness of
the land ensures a continuous and thorough record. “One of the things
that having Aquarius and SMOS in orbit before SMAP has allowed us
to do is to do inter-comparison studies between the sensors,” said
NASA scientist Peggy O'Neill, who is a co-investigator of the USDA soil
moisture project and deputy project scientist for SMAP. “By having the
three instruments up there at the same time, we will be able to create a
long-time series of soil moisture that starts with SMOS and continues
with Aquarius and then SMAP. We won't have to worry that the earlier
data were taken by SMOS and the later data by SMAP. We’ll know
they're telling us the same thing.”
Moreathttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=84017&src=fb
Decades-oldambercollectionoffersnewviewsofalostworld
A specimen from the 20-millionyear-old amber collection at the
Illinois Natural History Survey at
Illinois. Credit: Photo courtesy
of Kaitlin and Kevin Southworth
Scientists are searching
through a massive collection
of 20-million-year-old amber
found in the Dominican
Republic more than 50 years
ago, and the effort is yielding
fresh insights into ancient
tropical insects and the world they inhabited.
When the collection is fully curated, a task that will take many years, it will be
the largest unbiased Dominican amber collection in the world, the researchers
report.
Perhaps the most striking discovery thus far is that of a pygmy locust, a tiny
grasshopper the size of a rose thorn that lived 18- to 20-million years ago and
fed on moss, algae and fungi. The specimen is remarkable because it
represents an intermediate stage of evolution in the life of its subfamily of
locusts (known as the Cladonotinae). The most ancient representatives of this
group had wings, while modern counterparts do not. The newly discovered
locust has what appear to be vestigial wings -- remnant structures that had
already lost their primary function.
The discovery is reported in the journal ZooKeys.
"Grasshoppers are very rare in amber and this specimen is extraordinarily wellpreserved," said Sam Heads, a paleontologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey,
a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois.
Heads, laboratory technician Jared Thomas and study co-author Yinan Wang
found the new specimen a few months after the start of their project to screen
more than 160 pounds of Dominican amber collected in the late 1950s by
former INHS entomologist Milton Sanderson. Sanderson described several
specimens from the collection in a paper in Science in 1960, a report that
inspired a generation of scientists to seek out and study Dominican amber,
Heads said.
The bulk of the Sanderson amber collection remained in storage, however,
until Heads uncovered it in 2010.
Heads has named the new pygmy locust Electrotettix attenboroughi, the genus
name a combination of electrum (Latin from Greek, meaning "amber") and tettix
(Greek, meaning "grasshopper"). The species is named for Sir David
Attenborough, a British naturalist and filmmaker (not to be confused with Richard
Attenborough, David's actor brother who appeared in the movie "Jurassic Park").
"Sir David has a personal interest in amber, and also he was one of my
childhood heroes and still is one of my heroes and so I decided to name the
species in his honor -- with his permission of course," Heads said.
(Attenborough narrates and appears in a new video about the Sanderson
collection and the specimen that bears his name.)
The process of screening the amber is slow and painstaking. Much of the
amber is clouded with oxidation, and the researchers must carefully cut and
polish "windows" in it to get a good look at what's inside. In addition to the
pygmy locust, Heads and his colleagues have found mating flies, stingless
bees, gall midges, Azteca ants, wasps, bark beetles, mites, spiders, plant
parts and even a mammal hair.
The pygmy locust was found in a fragment that also contained wasps, ants,
midges, plant remnants and fungi. Such associations are rich in information,
Heads said, offering clues about the creatures' physiological needs and the
nature of their habitat.
"Fossil insects can provide lots of insight into the evolution of specific traits
and behaviors, and they also tell us about the history of the time period,"
Heads said. "They're a tremendous resource for understanding the ancient
world, ancient ecosystems and the ancient climate -- better even, perhaps,
than dinosaur bones."
The National Science Foundation supports this work. Heads and his
colleagues are digitizing the best specimens, and will upload the images onto
a publicly available website.
Note : The above story is based on materials provided by University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign.
Atwww.geologypage.com/2014/08/decades-old-amber-collection-offers-new.html#ixzz39Fc3tR4j
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
11
Methane release likely caused mystery crater on Yamal peninsula
The first mysterious crater spotted by
helicopter in the Yamal region of
northern Russia. Image viaNature.
A science team measured methane
concentrations up to 50,000 times
standard
UPDATE July 31, 2014. Stories are
popping up fast in various media this
afternoon about a likely source of a
reported, mysterious hole in
permafrost in the Yamal region of
northern Russia. This hole was
spotted by a helicopter pilot in midJuly; reindeer herders reported a
second hole some days later. Eric
Holthaus of Slate said that there is
now:
… new (and definitive) evidence …
that the Siberian holes were created via methane released from warming
permafrost.
The evidence has come via the journalNature, which published a story on
its website today (July 31) featuring the findings of Andrei Plekhanov, a senior
researcher at the Scientific Centre of Arctic Studies in Salekhard, Russia, and
his team. This is the team that was sent in to investigate the first hole shortly
after it was found. Holthaus said:
That team measured methane concentrations up to 50,000 times standard
levels inside the crater.
The story in Nature said:
Air near the bottom of the crater contained unusually high concentrations of
methane — up to 9.6% — in tests conducted at the site on 16 July …
Plekhanov, who led an expedition to the crater, says that air normally contains
just 0.000179% methane …
Plekhanov and his team believe that it is linked to the abnormally hot Yamal
summers of 2012 and 2013, which were warmer than usual by an average of
about 5°C. As temperatures rose, the researchers suggest, permafrost
thawed and collapsed, releasing methane that had been trapped in the icy
ground.
Holthaus pointed out:
Last week, the New York Times’ Andrew Revkin interviewed a Russian
scientist who had also visited the hole and came to similar conclusions.
This newly reported evidence, just coming to light today, seems particularly
scary given the story earlier this week about what the University of Stockholm
called “vast methane plumes”found by scientists aboard the icebreaker Oden,
which is now exploring and measuring methane release from the floor of the
Arctic Ocean.
More
at
http://earthsky.org/earth/second-mysterious-crater-reported-fromyamal?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=80f2496b16EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-80f2496b16-393647361
How do you make a bird? Shrink a dinosaur for 50 million years
The dinosaur lineage that evolved into birds shrank in body size continuously for 50 million years,
as seen in this handout illustration provided by Eurekalert.org July 31, 2014.Credit:
Reuters/Eureka.org/David Bonnadonna/Handout via Reuters
(Reuters) - Large flesh-eating dinosaurs evolved into small flying birds, but it did not happen
overnight.
An international team of scientists on Thursday described an extraordinary evolutionary
process that unfolded over a period of 50 million years in which a lineage of carnivorous
dinosaurs shrank steadily and acquired numerous traits that led to the first appearance of birds.
The researchers, using techniques developed by molecular biologists to reconstruct virus
evolution, examined 1,500 anatomical traits in 120 different dinosaurs from the theropod group.
These bipedal meat-eaters included giants like Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus as well
as the lineage that produced birds.
"Our study measured the rate of evolution of different groups of theropod dinosaurs," said lead
researcher Michael Lee, a paleontologist at the University of Adelaide and the South Australian
Museum.
"The fastest-evolving group also happened to be ancestral to birds. So, ultimately, the most
adaptable dinosaurs proved to be the best long-term survivors, and surround us today in their
feathered splendor," Lee explained.
The earliest known bird was the crow-sized Archaeopteryx, which lived in Germany 150 million
years ago. It was characterized by primitive traits like teeth, a long bony tail and the absence
of a bony, keeled sternum where flight muscles attach, as well as some attributes shared with
modern birds.
"What was impressive was the consistency of the size change along the dinosaur-to-bird
transition - every descendent was smaller than its ancestor. The lineage was continually
pushing the envelope of life at a smaller body size, little by little, over 50 million years," Lee
said.
The researchers completed a family tree of this dinosaur
lineage and their bird descendants. These dinosaurs
decreased in size from about 440 pounds (200 kg) to 1.7
pounds (0.8 kg) in 12 discernible steps.
Aside from sustained miniaturization, this lineage also
benefited from new traits such as feathers, wishbones, wings,
shorter snouts and smaller teeth. The study found that this
lineage acquired evolutionary adaptations at a rate four times
faster than other dinosaurs.
"The dinosaurs most closely related to birds are all small, and
many of them - like the aptly named Microraptor - had some
ability to climb and glide," said study participant Gareth Dyke,
a paleontologist at Britain's University of Southampton.
The decrease in body size may have helped dinosaurs in the
lineage that evolved into birds to take advantage of certain
ecological niches that would have been off-limits to their
larger relatives and to experiment with unique body shapes.
"It would have permitted them to chase insects, climb trees,
leap and glide, and eventually develop powered flight," Lee
said.
The changes may have helped these creatures to survive the
cataclysm that doomed the other dinosaurs - an asteroid that
struck Earth 65 million years ago, Lee said. Flight, for
example, would have allowed them to cover vast territory in
search of suitable habitat, and warm-bloodedness would
have buffered them against climate changes, he said.
The study was published in the journal Science.
Note : The above story is based on materials Reporting by
Will Dunham; Editing by Gunna Dickson "Reuters"
At
http://www.geologypage.com/2014/08/how-do-you-make-bird-shrinkdinosaur.html#ixzz39KLcJPCG
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
12
2014 Gulf of Mexico dead zone has grown to 5,052 square miles
By Deanna Conners, Aug 18, 2014
the amount of soil runoff, which is often laden with phosphorous, improving
manure storage facilities so that nutrient-rich manure will not have to be
applied to land during the winter when the frozen ground cannot absorb it, and
restoring wetlands.
Scientists head out to the Gulf of Mexico every summer to measure the size of the dead
zone—an area with oxygen levels that are too low to support most marine life.
Scientists head out to the Gulf of Mexico every summer to measure the size
of the dead zone—an area with oxygen levels that are too low to support most
marine life. In 2014, the size of dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has grown to
5,052 square miles, which is near the 5-year average but still much higher
than the 1,900 square miles target set by the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico
Watershed Nutrient Task Force.
The dead zone forms in the Gulf of Mexico every summer as algae blooms die
off and decompose. These blooms are fueled by nutrients such as nitrogen
and phosphorous flowing out the Mississippi River basin. Bacteria that help to
decompose the algae respire and use up valuable oxygen in the water column.
The lack of oxygen can result in fish kills and harm other marine life. During
the fall, colder water temperatures and strong winds act to mix oxygen back
into the water column and the dead zone disappears.
Scientists have been tracking the size of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone since
1985, and annual trends serve as an important gauge of how well efforts to
reduce nutrient runoff in the Mississippi watershed are working.
This year the Gulf of Mexico dead zone was estimated to be 5,052 square
miles in size, which is approximately the size of the state of Connecticut. The
size of the dead zone this year is near the 5-year average of 5,500 square
miles, but it still much higher than the 1,900 square miles target set by the
Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force.
In
a
report
(pdf
http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/Research/Shelfwide%20Cruises/2014/Hypoxia_P
ress_Release_2014.pdf) on the 2014 Gulf of Mexico dead zone, Nancy
Rabalais, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
(LUMCOM) and leader of the survey cruise, noted that:
The number of Dead Zones throughout the world has been increasing in the
last several decades and currently totals over 550. The Dead Zone off the
Louisiana coast is the second largest human-caused coastal hypoxic area in
the global ocean and stretches from the mouth of the Mississippi River into
Texas waters and less often, but increasingly more frequent, east of the
Mississippi River.
Efforts to reduce the size of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone are continuing and
include activities such as installing vegetation buffers on farmland to reduce
Size of the 2014 dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Image via LUMCON and
Louisiana State University.
Annual trends in the Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Image via LUMCON and Louisiana
State University.
Funding for this year’s annual survey cruise was provided by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Bottom line: In 2014, the size of dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has grown to
5,052 square miles. Additional efforts to control nutrient runoff from farmland
in the Mississippi River basin will be needed to shrink the size of the dead
zone to a target level of 1,900 square miles.
At
http://earthsky.org/earth/2014-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-has-grown-to-5052-squaremiles?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=6aa8665c2fEarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-6aa8665c2f-393647361
Antarctica's ice discharge could raise sea level faster than previously thought
August 13, 2014, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
The discharge from Antarctica could contribute up to 37 centimeters to the global
sea level rise within this century, a new study shows. For the first time, an
international team of scientists provide a comprehensive estimate on the full
range of Antarctica's potential contribution to global sea level rise based on
physical computer simulations. Led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact
Research, the study combines a whole set of state-of-the-art climate models and
observational data with various ice models. The results reproduce Antarctica's
recent contribution to sea level rise as observed by satellites in the last two
decades and show that the ice continent could become the largest contributor to
sea level rise much sooner than previously thought.
"If greenhouse gases continue to rise as before, ice discharge from Antarctica
could raise the global ocean by an additional 1 to 37 centimeters in this century
already," says lead author Anders Levermann. "Now this is a big range -which is exactly why we call it a risk: Science needs to be clear about the
uncertainty, so that decision makers at the coast and in coastal megacities like
Shanghai or New York can consider the potential implications in their planning
processes," says Levermann.
Antarctica currently contributes less than 10 percent to global sea level
rise
The scientists analyzed how rising global mean temperatures resulted in a
warming of the ocean around Antarctica, thus influencing the melting of the
Antarctic ice shelves. While Antarctica currently contributes less than 10
percent to global sea level rise and is a minor contributor compared to the
thermal expansion of the warming oceans and melting mountain glaciers, it is
Greenland and especially the Antarctic ice sheets with their huge volume of
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
13
ice that are expected to be the major contributors to future long-term sea level
rise. The marine ice sheets in West Antarctica alone have the potential to
elevate sea level by several meters -- over several centuries.
According to the study, the computed projections for this century's sea level
contribution are significantly higher than the latest IPCC projections on the
upper end. Even in a scenario of strict climate policies limiting global warming
in line with the 2°C target, the contribution of Antarctica to global sea level rise
covers a range of 0 to 23 centimeters.
A critical input to future projections
"Rising sea level is widely regarded as a current and ongoing result of climate
change that directly affects hundreds of millions of coastal dwellers around the
world and indirectly affects billions more that share its financial costs," says
co-author Robert Bindschadler from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
"This paper is a critical input to projections of possible future contributions of
diminishing ice sheets to sea level by a rigorous consideration of uncertainty
of not only the results of ice sheet models themselves but also the climate and
ocean forcing driving the ice sheet models. Billions of Dollars, Euros, Yuan
etc. are at stake and wise and cost-effective decision makers require this type
of useful information from the scientific experts."
While the study signifies an important step towards a better understanding of
Antarctica in a changing climate and its influence on sea level change within
the 21st century, major modeling challenges still remain: Datasets of Antarctic
bedrock topography, for instance, are still inadequate and some physical
processes of interaction between ice and ocean cannot be sufficiently
simulated yet.
Notably, the study's results are limited to this century only, while all 19 of the
used comprehensive climate models indicate that the impacts of atmospheric
warming on Antarctic ice shelf cavities will hit with a time delay of several
decades. "Earlier research indicated that Antarctica would become important
in the long term," says Levermann. "But pulling together all the evidence it
seems that Antarctica could become the dominant cause of sea level rise
much sooner."
At
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140813182259.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&
utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fearth_climate+%28Earth+%26+Climate+News+--+ScienceDaily%29
Misunderstood worm-like fossil finds its place in the Tree of Life
Fossil Hallucigenia sparsa from the Burgess Shale. Credit: M. R. Smith /
Smithsonian Institute
014.08.19. One of the most bizarre-looking fossils ever found -- a worm-like
creature with legs, spikes and a head difficult to distinguish from its tail -- has
found its place in the evolutionary Tree of Life, definitively linking it with a group
of modern animals for the first time.
The animal, known as Hallucigenia due to its otherworldly appearance, had
been considered an 'evolutionary misfit' as it was not clear how it related to
modern animal groups. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have
discovered an important link with modern velvet worms, also known as
onychophorans, a relatively small group of worm-like animals that live in
tropical forests. The results are published in the advance online edition of the
journal Nature.
The affinity of Hallucigenia and other contemporary 'legged worms',
collectively known as lobopodians, has been very controversial, as a lack of
clear characteristics linking them to each other or to modern animals has made
it difficult to determine their evolutionary home.
What is more, early interpretations of Hallucigenia, which was first identified
in the 1970s, placed it both backwards and upside-down. The spines along
the creature's back were originally thought to be legs, its legs were thought to
be tentacles along its back, and its head was mistaken for its tail.
Hallucigenia lived approximately 505 million years ago during the Cambrian
Explosion, a period of rapid evolution when most major animal groups first
appear in the fossil record. These particular fossils come from the Burgess
Shale in Canada's Rocky Mountains, one of the richest Cambrian fossil
deposits in the world.
Looking like something from science fiction, Hallucigenia had a row of rigid
spines along its back, and seven or eight pairs of legs ending in claws. The
animals were between five and 35 millimetres in length, and lived on the floor
of the Cambrian oceans.
A new study of the creature's claws revealed an organisation very close to
those of modern velvet worms, where layers of cuticle (a hard substance
similar to fingernails) are stacked one inside the other, like Russian nesting
dolls. The same nesting structure can also be seen in the jaws of velvet
worms, which are no more than legs modified for chewing.
"It's often thought that modern animal groups arose fully formed during the
Cambrian Explosion," said Dr Martin Smith of the University's Department of
Earth Sciences, the paper's lead author. "But evolution is a gradual process:
today's complex anatomies emerged step by step, one feature at a time. By
deciphering 'in-between' fossils like Hallucigenia, we can determine how
different animal groups built up their modern body plans."
While Hallucigenia had been suspected to be an ancestor of velvet worms,
definitive characteristics linking them together had been hard to come by, and
their claws had never been studied in detail. Through analysing both the
prehistoric and living creatures, the researchers found that claws were the
connection joining them together. Cambrian fossils continue to produce new
information on origins of complex animals, and the use of high-end imaging
techniques and data on living organisms further allows researchers to
untangle the enigmatic evolution of earliest creatures.
"An exciting outcome of this study is that it turns our current understanding of the
evolutionary tree of arthropods -- the group including spiders, insects and
crustaceans -- upside down," said Dr Javier Ortega-Hernandez, the paper's coauthor. "Most gene-based studies suggest that arthropods and velvet worms are
closely related to each other; however, our results indicate that arthropods are
actually closer to water bears, or tardigrades, a group of hardy microscopic animals
best known for being able to survive the vacuum of space and sub-zero
temperatures -- leaving velvet worms as distant cousins."
"The peculiar claws of Hallucigenia are a smoking gun that solve a long and
heated debate in evolutionary biology, and may even help to decipher other
problematic Cambrian critters," said Dr Smith.
Note: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Cambridge.
The original story is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.
At http://www.geologypage.com/2014/08/misunderstood-worm-like-fossil-finds.html#ixzz3Apl8Ycr
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
14
Japan volcanic isle may collapse, create tsunami, study says
Nishino-shima
Volcano,
Volcano Islands (Japan)
2014.08.19. An erupting
volcanic island that is
expanding off Japan could
trigger a tsunami if its
freshly-formed lava slopes
collapse into the sea,
scientists said Tuesday.
The small, but growing,
island appeared last year
and quickly engulfed the already-existing island of Nishinoshima, around
1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Tokyo. It now covers 1.26 square
kilometres (0.5 square miles).
The island's craters are currently spewing out 200,000 cubic metres (7 million
cubic feet) of lava every day—enough to fill 80 Olympic swimming pools—
which is accumulating in its east, scientists said.
"If lava continues to mount on the eastern area, part of the island's slopes
could collapse and cause a tsunami," warned Fukashi Maeno, assistant
professor of the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo.
He said a rockfall of 12 million cubic metres of lava would generate a one metre
(three feet) tsunami that could travel faster than a bullet train, hitting the island of
Chichijima—130 kilometres away—in around 18 minutes, he said.
Chichijima, home to some 2,000 people, is the largest island in the Ogasawara
archipelago, a wild and remote chain that is administratively part of Tokyo.
"The ideal way to monitor and avoid a natural disaster is to set up a new
tsunami and earthquake detection system near the island, but it's impossible
for anyone to land on the island in the current situation," Maeno added.
An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency, which monitors earthquakes
and tsunamis, said the agency is watching for any signs of anything untoward.
"We studied the simulation this morning, and we are thinking of consulting with
earthquake prediction experts... about the probability of this actually
happening, and what kind of measures we would be able to take," he said.
Japan's northeast was ravaged by a huge tsunami in March 2011, when a
massive undersea earthquake sent a wall of water barrelling into the northeast
coast, killing more than 18,000 people and wrecking whole towns.
Note : The above story is based on materials provided by © 2014 AFP
At http://www.geologypage.com/2014/08/japan-volcanic-isle-may-collapse-create.html#ixzz3ApmNrpkZ
Most complete Antarctic map for climate research made public
Mosaic
of
satellite
images of Antarctica
taken by RADARSAT-2.
Credit: (RADARSAT-2
Data and Products ©
MacDonald,
Dettwiler
and Associates Ltd.
(2008) – All Rights
Reserved. RADARSAT
is an official mark of the
Canadian
Space
Agency.)
Thanks to a partnership
between the Canadian
Space Agency (CSA),
MacDonald, Dettwiler
and Associates Ltd.
(MDA), the prime contractor for the RADARSAT-2 program, and the Canadian
Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN) at UWaterloo, the mosaic is free and
fully accessible to the academic world and the public.
Using Synthetic Aperture Radar with multiple polarization modes aboard the
RADARSAT-2 satellite, the CSA collected more than 3,150 images of the
continent in the autumn of 2008, comprising a single pole-to-coast map
covering all of Antarctica. This is the first such map of the area since
RADARSAT-1 created one in 1997.
"The mosaic provides an update on the ever-changing ice cover in this area
that will be of great interest to climatologists, geologists, biologists and
oceanographers," said Professor Ellsworth LeDrew, director of the CCIN and
a professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. "When compared to the
previous Antarctic RADARSAT-1 mosaic, we can map changes in the
icescape with unprecedented accuracy and confidence. Earth's polar regions
are considered a bellwether for the effects of climate change."
Professor LeDrew is at the forefront of a cultural shift in the way researchers
discover, share and preserve their research data. The CCIN links international
researchers around the world with numerous government, university and
private organizations to provide data and information management
infrastructure for the Canadian cryospheric community. This mosaic map of
the Antarctic is the latest addition to the CCIN's Polar Data Catalogue. It is
available
on
the
Polar
Data
Catalogue
website.
(https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/)
"The Polar Data Catalogue's mandate is to make such information freely
available to scientists, students and the public to enhance our understanding
and stewardship of the polar regions," said Professor LeDrew. "We are proud
to work with the Canadian Space Agency and MDA to bring this outstanding
Canadian technology and science to the international community."
Next up for the partnership is a similar mosaic for Greenland, which will
provide further crucial information about our shifting climate in the northern
hemisphere. There are also plans to continue creating mosaics of Antarctica
every few years to provide more data for researchers.
Note : The above story is based on materials provided by University of
Waterloo.
At http://www.geologypage.com/2014/08/most-complete-antarctic-map-for-climate.html#ixzz3ApnLTi9h
Other stories!!!!
-
Scientists discover vast methane plumes escaping from Arctic seafloor. JUL 30, 2014. http://earthsky.org/earth/scientists-discover-vast-methane-plumes-escaping-from-arcticseafloor?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=80f2496b16-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-80f2496b16-393647361
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
15
AboutSpace/Astronomy
Super-close views of Mercury
Close image of Mercury acquired
by the MESSENGER spacecraft
on June 11, 2014. 69.84 degrees
North
&
48.47
degrees
East.Resolution 2.9 meters. Image
via NASA / JHU / APL
MESSENGER spacecraft
JUL
29,
2014.
The
MESSENGER spacecraft is now
dropping closer to Mercury, and
long anticipated, super-close
views of the planet are beginning
to come in.
The image above is one of the
highest resolution images ever
returned of Mercury. MESSENGER acquired it on June 11, 2014. Last Friday –
July 25, 2014 – MESSENGER’speriherm (closest point to Mercury) dropped below
100 kilometers / 62 miles. MESSSENGER is the first manmade object ever to come
this close to Mercury.
On June 17 – around the time the image above was taken – the periherm had
dropped to 113.80 kilometers / 70.80 miles. The image has absolutely
incredible 2.90-meter resolution, showing a cluster of tiny secondary craters
within the northern intercrater lava plains in a 3.00 kilometer / 1.86 mile wide
area within Mercury’s North Polar Borealis Quadrangle.
The craters seen here are a few hundred meters at most in width, many much
smaller. These are secondary craters from an impact out of this frame, where
impact ejecta fell back on ballistic trajectories forming smaller craters. Many
can be hundreds of kilometers away from the primary impact if the impact was
large enough.
There are a handful of much smaller craters in the area too.
All of these craters in this image are of the simple bowl shaped type.
The image is a little ‘noisy’ due to the very short exposure required to prevent
blurring of the image as MESSENGER was lower and faster than usual above
the surface of Mercury.
On August 19, 2014, perihermwill drop below 50 kilometers / 31 miles. On
September 12, 2014, perihermwill have lowered to 25 kilometers / 15.52 miles.
The number of such high resolution and even higher resolution images will
increase as periherm continues to lower.
The fuel on board MESSENGER is expected to be depleted on January 21,
2015. MESSENGER is expected to impact Mercury during the last weekend
of March, 2015.
At
http://earthsky.org/todays-image/long-anticipated-super-close-views-ofmercury?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=80f2496b16EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-80f2496b16-393647361
Higgs Boson --"May Explain the Earliest Moments of Our Universe"
August 18, 2014. Fedor Bezrukov
from the RIKEN–BNL Research
Center and Mikhail Shaposhnikov
from the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology in Lausanne propose
that the Higgs boson, which was
recently confirmed to be the origin of
mass, may also be responsible for
the mode of inflation and shape of the Universe shortly after the Big Bang.
“There is an intriguing connection between the world explored in particle
accelerators today and the earliest moments of the existence of the Universe,”
explains Bezrukov.
The Universe started with a giant explosion known as the Big Bang, and has
been expanding ever since. The expansion is balanced such that its shape is
flat and not bent, which can only be the case for a very specific distribution of
matter density.
The image below shows the influence of the Higgs boson and its field (inset)
on cosmological inflation could manifest in the observation of gravitational
waves by the BICEP2 telescope (background). Image courtesy of the BICEP2
Collaboration (background); 2014
Fedor Bezrukov, RIKEN–BNL
Research Center (inset).
The coupling between the Higgs
boson and other fundamental
particles provides mass. In the first
moments of the Universe, however,
coupling between the Higgs field
and gravity accelerated theUniverse’s expansion. An important parameter for
this coupling is the mass of the Higgs boson. Experiments at the Large Hadron
Collider at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) have shown
that the mass of the Higgs boson is very close to a critical value that separates
two possible types of Universe—the stable one we know or a potentially
unstable alternate.
Bezrukov and Shaposhnikov have now studied the implications arising from
the Higgs mass being near this critical boundary and the impact this has on
cosmological inflation. Through theoretical arguments, they found that as the
mass of the Higgs approaches the critical value, gravitational waves from the
Big Bang become strongly enhanced. The Big Bang is thought to have created
many gravitational waves, which act like ripples in space and time, and it is
these waves that are amplified for a Higgs of near-critical mass.
Experimentally, the influence of the Higgs boson could have significant
implications for the observation of gravitational waves, which had eluded
physicists until recently, when analysis of data acquired by the BICEP2
telescope near the South Pole suggested the first signs of gravitational waves
in the cosmic microwave background that fills the Universe. Higgs Boson May
Explain the Earliest Expansion of the Universe.
The image at the top of the page shows the Microwave Sky as Mapped by the
Planck Satellite [Source: ESA/ LFI & HFI Consortia]
Publication: Fedor Bezrukov, et al., “Higgs inflation at the critical point,”
Physics Letters B, Volume 734, 27 June 2014, Pages 249–254; DOI:
10.1016/j.physletb.2014.05.074
The Daily Galaxy via RIKEN–BNL Research Center
At
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2014/08/higgs-boson-may-explain-the-earliest-moments-of-ouruniverse.html#more
An in-between black hole
NASA, ESA, AND THE HUBBLE HERITAGE
TEAM (STSCI/AURA). Starburst galaxy M82,
home to the medium-sized black hole X-1.
By Daniel Clery. 18 August 2014.
The pantheon of black holes includes little ones
not much bigger than our sun and
supermassive ones at the centers of galaxies.
But where are all the medium-sized black holes? That question has long
troubled astronomers, but now they may have finally spotted one. The leading
candidate for a just-right black hole—an object called X-1 in the constellation
M82—has just received its most accurate mass estimate so far: about 400
times the mass of the sun.
Black holes, by their very nature, can’t be seen directly and reveal their
presence only by the effect their gravity has on nearby stars and clouds of
dust and gas. From such clues, astronomers have identified many stellarsized black holes, created by the collapse of a giant star and other material it
may have gobbled up afterward. These usually weigh up to tens of times the
mass of the sun. Meanwhile, most and perhaps all galaxies seem to have a
huge black hole at their hearts, with masses that range from hundreds of
thousands to billions of solar masses.
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
16
In their search for the missing intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs),
astronomers have zoomed in on rare objects known as ultraluminous x-ray
sources (ULXs). Such x-ray sources are thought to be binary systems made
up of a black hole and another star orbiting each other, with the black hole
sucking in material from its partner. That material first settles into a sort of
gravitational vortex called an accretion disk, and before vanishing forever into
the black hole the accreting material becomes so hot from friction that it emits
x-rays. ULXs are extreme examples of this phenomenon, emitting an x-ray
signal that is too bright to be produced by a stellar-sized black hole but still not
bright enough to be from a supermassive black hole. X-1, which is 12 million
light-years from Earth, is one such ULX, and several studies over the past
decade suggested that it has a mass of hundreds of suns, based on its
luminosity and temperature.
Still, astronomers couldn’t rule out that it was simply a very luminous but small
black hole, says astronomer Dheeraj Pasham of the University of Maryland
(UMD), College Park. So along with colleagues from UMD and NASA’s
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Pasham set out to more
accurately weigh X-1 using an obscure x-ray emission pattern detected in
smaller black holes.
Over the past decade, astronomers studying the x-ray emissions from stellar
black holes noticed that they seem to beat like a drum, with a consistent 3-2
ratio. One black hole’s x-rays might be beating at 150 times per second as
well as 100 times, while another could be beating 300 and 200 times.
Astronomers don’t know what is causing these syncopated emissions but
assume that some sort of resonance must develop in the superheated, x-rayemitting gas just before it falls into the black hole. Crucially, they also found
that the frequency of the beats was inversely proportional to the mass of the
black hole, so a 150-100 rhythm would signal a more massive black hole than
a 300-200 rhythm.
The team wondered if this relationship could be extrapolated to IMBHs. For
medium-sized black holes, the researchers predicted, the beats would have singlefigure frequencies. The team gathered data on X-1 from NASA’s Rossi X-ray
Timing Explorer, which operated from 1995 to 2012, looking for beat frequencies
between 1 and 16 times per second. “We stacked up all the archival data and the
[3-2 rhythms] just appeared,” Pasham says. As they reported online yesterday in
Nature, they found that X-1 was beating out rhythms at 5.07 and 3.32 times per
second; following the relation between frequency and mass, that corresponds to a
black hole with a mass of 428 suns.
“Confirmation of a mass around 400 solar masses for M82 X-1 is very exciting
because it puts the black hole clearly in the intermediate mass range—too
heavy to be made in the collapse of a single star and much lighter than the
supermassive black hole found in galactic nuclei. Thus, X-1 would represent
a new class of object requiring a novel formation mechanism,” says
astronomer Philip Kaaret of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, who was not
involved in the research.
Others, however, are not yet sure this is the final proof of the existence of
medium-sized black holes. “It’s not conclusive, but this is a good extra clue,”
says astronomer Alessandro Patruno of Leiden Observatory in the
Netherlands. He cautions it won’t be considered proof until researchers have
a better handle on how these rhythms are created in accretion disks and
whether it is justified to extrapolate from small black holes to much larger ones.
“We don’t understand how accretion disks behave around ULXs,” he says.
Posted in Space. At http://news.sciencemag.org/space/2014/08/between-black-hole
Most Massive Known Galaxies Observed at Edge of the Universe (Today's Most Popular)
August 20, 2014
Four previously unknown
galaxy
clusters
each
potentially
containing
thousands of individual
galaxies
have
been
discovered some 10 billion
light years from Earth. Most
clusters in the universe today
are dominated by giant
elliptical galaxies in which the
dust and gas has already
been formed into stars. "What we believe we are seeing in these distant
clusters are giant elliptical galaxies in the process of being formed," says
David Clements, from the Department of Physics at Imperial College London.
An international team of astronomers, led by Imperial College London, used a
new way of combining data from the two European Space Agency satellites,
Planck and Herschel, to identify more distant galaxy clusters than has
previously been possible. The researchers believe up to 2000 further clusters
could be identified using this technique, helping to build a more detailed
timeline of how clusters are formed.
Galaxy clusters are the most massive objects in the universe, containing
hundreds to thousands of galaxies, bound together by gravity. While
astronomers have identified many nearby clusters, they need to go further
back in time to understand how these structures are formed. This means
finding clusters at greater distances from the Earth.
The light from the most distant of the four new clusters identified by the team has
taken over 10 billion years to reach us. This means the researchers are seeing
what the cluster looked like when the universe was just three billion years old.
"Although we're able to see individual galaxies that go further back in time, up to
now, the most distant clusters found by astronomers date back to when the
universe was 4.5 billion years old," explains Clements. "This equates to around nine
billion light years away. Our new approach has already found a cluster in existence
much earlier than that, and we believe it has the potential to go even further."
The clusters can be identified at such distances because they contain galaxies
in which huge amounts of dust and gas are being formed into stars. This
process emits light that can be picked up by the satellite surveys.
Observations were recorded by the Spectral and Photometric Imaging
Receiver (SPIRE) instrument as part of Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic
Survey (HerMES). Seb Oliver, Head of the HerMES survey said: "The fantastic
thing about Herschel-SPIRE is that we are able to scan very large areas of the
sky with sufficient sensitivity and image sharpness that we can find these rare
and exotic things. This result from Dr. Clements is exactly the kind of thing we
were hoping to find with the HerMES survey"
The researchers are among the first to combine data from two satellites that ended
their operations last year: the Planck satellite, which scanned the whole sky, and
the Herschel satellite, which surveyed certain sections in greater detail.
The researchers used Planck data to find sources of far-infrared emission in
areas covered by the Herschel satellite, then cross referenced with Herschel
data to look at these sources more closely. Of sixteen sources identified by
the researchers, most were confirmed as single, nearby galaxies that were
already known. However, four were shown by Herschel to be formed of
multiple, fainter sources, indicating previously unknown galaxy clusters.
The team then used additional existing data and new observations to estimate
the distance of these clusters from Earth and to determine which of the
galaxies within them were forming stars. The researchers are now looking to
identify more galaxy clusters using this technique, with the aim of looking
further back in time to the earliest stage of cluster formation.
More at http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2014/08/most-massive-known-galaxies-observed-at-edge-ofthe-universe-todays-most-popular.html#more
Other stories
- Strange case of M82 X-1: A rare midsize black hole. EarthSky. AUG 19, 2014. http://earthsky.org/space/strange-case-of-m82-x-1-a-rare-midsize-blackhole?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=0f99602cdd-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-0f99602cdd-393647361
- Potential landing sites on Rosetta’s comet. Earth Sky, AUG 17, 2014. http://earthsky.org/space/exploring-rosettas-comet-prior-to-landing-67p-churyumovgerasimenko?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=0f99602cdd-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-0f99602cdd-393647361
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
17
INTERESTING SITES
VOYAGER: The Voyager 1 spacecraft has traveled more than 16 billion miles during its 37-year expedition, producing stunning images of the
solar system and shaping the way humanity views our home in the cosmos. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/space/voyager/?now=2014-08-1901:01/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20140819news-voyager&utm_campaign=Content&sf4239027=1
LINKS TO JOURNALS, REVIEWS & NEWSLETTERS
 AAPG Bulletin: http://aapgbull.geoscienceworld.org/
 Acta Geologica Sinica: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)17556724
 Advances in Space Research:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02731177
 Advances in Water Resources:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03091708
 Aeolian Research: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18759637
 Agricultural Meteorology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00021571
 Agricultural Water Management:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03783774
 American Mineralogist: http://ammin.geoscienceworld.org/
 Annales de Paléontologie: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07533969
 Anthropocene: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22133054
 Applied Clay Science: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01691317
 Applied Geochemistry: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08832927
 ASLO: Limnology and Oceanography: http://www.aslo.org/lo/
 ATBU Journal of Environmental Technology: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/atbu
 Atmospheric Environment:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13522310
 Atmospheric Research: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01698095
 Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geologyhttp://bcpg.geoscienceworld.org/
 Bulletin of Geosciences Czech Geological survey: http://www.geology.cz/bulletin/
 Bulletin of the SeismologicalSocietyofAmericahttp://bssa.geoscienceworld.org/
 CanadianJournalofEarthScienceshttp://cjes.geoscienceworld.org/
 CATENA: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03418162
 Chemical Geology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00092541
 Chemie der Erde: Geochemistry:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00092819
 Clays and Clay Mineralshttp://ccm.geoscienceworld.org/
 Cold Regions Science and Technology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0165232X
 Comptes Rendus Geoscience:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16310713
 Comptes Rendus Palevol: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16310683
 Computers & Geosciences: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00983004
 Computers and Geotechnics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0266352X
 Continental Shelf Research: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02784343
 Cretaceous Research: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01956671
 Crystals: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/crystals
 Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18773435
 Current Science on-line: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/
 Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09670637
 Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09670645
 Dendrochronologia: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/11257865
 Directory of open access journals:
http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=abstract&id=171996&toc=y
 Doklady Earth Sciences: http://www.maik.rssi.ru/cgibin/journal.pl?name=earthsci&page=main
 Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03770265
 Earth and Planetary Science Letters:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0012821X
 Earth Science Frontiers: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18725791
 Earth Science Reviews: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00128252
 Earth System Science: India: http://www.ias.ac.in/jess/index_body.html
 Earth’s Future: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2328-4277
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Ecohydrology: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1936-0592
Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene: http://www.elementascience.org/
Elements: http://www.elementsmagazine.org/
Energies: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
Engineering Geology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00137952
Enseñanza de las ciencias de la tierra (Spanish):
http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/revista?codigo=1892
Environmental and Engineering Geoscience: http://eeg.geoscienceworld.org/
EnvironmentalHealthPerspectives: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/
ENVOLVERDE: Revista Digital de Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento
(Portuguese): http://envolverde.com.br/
Episodes: http://www.episodes.co.in/
Estuarine, CoastalandShelfScience:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02727714
EstudosGeologicos (Spanish):
http://estudiosgeol.revistas.csic.es/index.php/estudiosgeol/issue/archive
European Journal of Mineralogy: http://eurjmin.geoscienceworld.org/
Fuel Processing Technology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03783820
Fuel: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00162361
Geobios: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00166995
GEOBRASIL (Portuguese): http://www.geobrasil.net/geobrasil.htm
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Gedosystems:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1525-2027
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00167037
Geoderma: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00167061
Geologica Acta: http://www.geologica-acta.com/ContentsAC.do
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin:
http://www.geus.dk/publications/bull/index-uk.htm
Geology (GSA): http://geology.gsapubs.org/
Geomorphology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0169555X
Geophysical Journal Internationalhttp://gji.oxfordjournals.org/
Geophysics (GSA): http://geophysics.geoscienceworld.org/
Geoscience Australia AusGeo:
http://www.ga.gov.au/ausgeonews/ausgeonews201309/
Geoscience Data Journal:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2049-6060
Geosciencee-JournalsA t-A-Glance: http://www.univ-brest.fr/geosciences/ejournals/iconography.html
Geoscience Frontiers: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16749871
Geosciences: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences
Geosphere: http://geosphere.geoscienceworld.org/
Geotextiles and Geomembranes:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02661144
Geo thermics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03756505
Global and Planetary Change:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09218181
Global Biogeochemical Cycles:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-9224
Global Journal of Environmental Sciences:
http://www.globaljournalseries.com/index.php/gjes
Global Journal of Geological Sciences:
http://www.globaljournalseries.com/index.php/gggs
Gondwana Research: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/1342937X
GSA Bulletinhttp://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Field Guides Book Reviews: http://fieldguides.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Geological Society of America Bulletin: http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Geology: http://geology.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Geosphere: http://geosphere.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Lithosphere: http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
18
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GSA-Memoirs: http://memoirs.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Reviews in Engineering Geology: http://reg.gsapubs.org/
GSA-Special Papers: http://specialpapers.gsapubs.org/
Hydrometallurgy: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0304386X
Icarus: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00191035
InternationalCouncilforScience(ICSU)Newsletter: http://www.icsu.org/newscentre/insight
InternationalGeosphere-BiosphereProgramme(IGBP)E-bulletin:
http://www.igbp.net/
InternationalJournalofAppliedEarthObservationandGeoinformation:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03032434
InternationalJournalofCoalGeology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01665162
InternationalJournalofDisasterRiskReduction:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22124209
InternationalJournalofGreenhouseGasControl:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/17505836
InternationalJournalofMineralProcessing:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03017516
InternationalJournalofMiningScienceandTechnology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/20952686
InternationalJournalofRockMechanicsandMiningSciences:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13651609
InternationalJournalofSedimentResearch:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10016279
InternationalUnionofGeodesyandGeophysics(IUGG)E-Journals:
http://www.iugg.org/publications/ejournals/
IslandArc: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1440-1738
ISPRSInternationalJournalofGeo-Information: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijgi
ISPRSJournalofPhotogrammetryandRemoteSensing:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09242716
JournalforNatureConservation:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16171381
JournalofAdvancesinModelingEarthSystems:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1942-2466
JournalofAerosolScience: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00218502
JournalofAfricanEarthSciences:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/1464343X
JournalofAppliedGeophysics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09269851
JournalofAridEnvironments:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01401963
JournalofAsianEarthSciences:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13679120
JournalofAtmosphericandSolar-TerrestrialPhysics:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13646826
JournalofContaminantHydrology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01697722
JournalofEnvironmentalQuality: https: //www.agronomy.org/publications/jeq
JournalofFloodRiskManagementhttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISS
N)1753-318X
JournalofGeochemicalExploration:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03756742
JournalofGeodynamics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02643707
JournalofGeographyandRegionalPlanning:
http://www.academicjournals.org/JGRP/Archive.htm
JournalofGreatLakesResearch:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03801330
JournalofHydrology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00221694
JournalofMarineSystems: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09247963
JournalofMeteorologyandClimateScience: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jmcs
JournalofMiningandGeology(Nigeria): http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jmg/index
JournalofNaturalGasScienceandEngineering:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18755100
JournalofPaleontology(GSA): http://jpaleontol.geoscienceworld.org/
JournalofPetroleumGeologyhttp://www.jpg.co.uk/
JournalofPetroleumScienceandEngineering:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09204105
JournalofRockMechanicsandGeotechnicalEngineering:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16747755
JournalofSedimentaryResearch: http://jsedres.geoscienceworld.org/
JournalofSoilandWaterConservationhttp://www.jswconline.org/
JournalofSouthAmericanEarthSciences:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08959811
JournalofStructuralGeologyhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01918141
JournalofTerramechanics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00224898
JournaloftheGeologicalSocietyhttp://jgs.geoscienceworld.org/
 JournalofUnconventionalOilandGasResources:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22133976
 JournalofVolcanologyandGeothermalResearch:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03770273
 LaboratórioNacionaldeEngenhariaeGeologia(Portuguese)http://www.lneg.pt/iedt/
unidades/16/paginas/26/30/38
 LithologyandMineralResources: http://www.springerlink.com/content/106290/
 Lithos: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00244937
 MadagascarConservation&Development: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/mcd
 MarineandPetroleumGeology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02648172
 MarineChemistry: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03044203
 MarineEnvironmentalResearch:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01411136
 MarineGeology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00253227
 MarineMicropaleontology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03778398
 MarinePollutionBulletin: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0025326X
 MineralResearch&ExplorationBulletin(Turkey): http://www.mta.gov.tr/v2.0/eng/allbulletins.php?id=145#down
 MineraliumDeposita: http://link.springer.com/journal/126
 MineralsEngineering: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08926875
 Minerals: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/minerals
 MiningScienceandTechnology(China):
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/16745264
 MiningWeekly: http://www.miningweekly.com/
 MonthlyNotesoftheAstronomicalSocietyofSouthernAfrica:
http://www.mnassa.org.za/
 NERCOpenResearchArchive: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/
 NewScientist: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02624079
 NewZealandJournalofGeology&Geophysics:
http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/publications/journals/nzjg
 Ocean&CoastalManagement:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09645691
 OceanModelling: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/14635003
 OilGeologyinGeology&Geophysics: Africa-OffshoreMagazine:
http://www.offshore-mag.com/geology-geophysics/africa.html
 OreGeologyReviews: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01691368
 OrganicGeochemistry: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01466380
 Palaeogeography,Palaeoclimatology,Palaeoecology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00310182
 Palaeoworld: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/1871174X
 PetroleumExplorationandDevelopment:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18763804
 PetroleumGeoscience: http://pg.eage.org/publication/latestissue?p=3
 Photogrammetria: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00318663
 PhysicsandChemistryoftheEarth,PartsA/B/C:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/14747065
 PhysicsoftheEarthandPlanetaryInteriors:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00319201
 PlanetaryandSpaceScience:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00320633
 PLOSONE: http://www.plosone.org/
 PolarScience: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18739652
 PrecambrianResearch: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03019268
 ProcediaEarthandPlanetaryScience:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18785220
 ProceedingsoftheGeologists'Association:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00167878
 ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencesoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica:
http://www.pnas.org/
 ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencesoftheUSA:
http://www.pnas.org/content/current
 ProGEO–
TheEuropeanAssociationfortheConservationoftheGeologicalHeritage:
http://www.progeo.se/
 ProgressinOceanography: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00796611
 ProgressinPhysicalGeographyhttp://ppg.sagepub.com/
 QuarterlyJournalofEngineeringGeologyandHydrogeologyhttp://qjegh.g
eoscienceworld.org/
 QuarterlyJournalofEngineeringGeologyandHydrogeologyhttp://qjegh.geoscienc
eworld.org/
 QuaternaryGeochronology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18711014
 QuaternaryInternational: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10406182
 QuaternaryResearch: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00335894
 QuaternaryScienceReviews:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02773791
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
19
 RemoteSensingofEnvironment:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00344257
 RemoteSensing: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing
 ResourcesPolicy: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03014207
 ReviewofPalaeobotanyandPalynology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00346667
 RevistadeGeociencias(Portuguese): http://www.revistageociencias.com.br/
 RevistageologicadeChile(Spanish):
http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_issuetoc&pid=0716020820050002&lng=es&nrm=iso
 RevuedeMicropaléontologie(French):
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00351598
 RoyalSocietyPublishing: EarthSciences:
http://royalsocietypublishing.org/site/authors/earthscience.xhtml
 RussianGeologyandGeophysics:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10687971
 ScienceFrontiersDigestofScientificAnomalies: http://www.sciencefrontiers.com/index.htm
 ScienceMagazineOnline: http://www.sciencemag.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml
 SedimentaryGeology: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00370738
 SociétéAlgériennedeGéophysique(SAGA)Newsletter: http://www.sag.dz/
 SoilDynamicsandEarthquakeEngineering:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02677261
 SoilsandFoundations: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00380806
 SouthAfricanJournalofGeology: http://sajg.geoscienceworld.org/archive/
 SouthAfricanJournalofPlantandSoil: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajps
 SpaceResearchToday: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/17529298
 SpatialStatistics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22116753
 Tectonophysics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401951
 TheAnthropoceneReview: http://anr.sagepub.com/
 TheEgyptianJournalofRemoteSensingandSpaceScience:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/11109823
 TheLeadingEdgehttp://tle.geoscienceworld.org/
 TheOpenGeologyJournal: http://bentham.org/open/togeoj/index.htm
 TrendsinEcology&Evolution:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01695347
 TunnellingandUndergroundSpaceTechnology:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08867798
 TurkishJournalofEarthSciences: http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/earth/index.php
 UN-SPIDERKnowledgePortal: http://www.un-spider.org/about/updates/
 UrbanClimate: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22120955
 VadoseZoneJournalhttp://vzj.geoscienceworld.org/
 WasteManagement: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0956053X
 WaterResearch: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00431354
 WaveMotion: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01652125
 WeatherandClimateExtremes:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22120947
Titles not included in previous issues
 International Peat Journal: http://www.peatsociety.org/publications/internationalpeat-journal
 Journa lof Integrated Coastal Management:
http://www.aprh.pt/rgci/index_eng.html
 Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
EVENTS
The events not announced in former Bulletins are highlighted with dates in yellow
In Africa and about Africa
Next Month (September 2014):
2014.09.01-0
2014.09.06-12
2014.09.07-09
2014.09.07-14
2014.09.09-11
2014.09.11-13
2014.09.15-17
2014.09.15-19
2014.09.15-19
2014.09.16-17
2014.09.16-17
2014.09.17-18
2014.09.17-19
2014.09.23-25
2014.10.01-02
2014.10.01-03
2014.10.01-04
2014.10.02-03
2014.10.04-14
2014.10.08-09
2014.10.15-16
2014.10.15-16
2014.10.20-22
The21stGeneralMeetingoftheInternationalMineralogicalAssociation(IMA).Johannesburg,SA.http://www.ima2014.co.za/
2ndGeologicalCongressofMozambiqueand12ndGeochemicalCongressofthePortugueseSpeakingCountries,Maputo,Mozambiquehttp://www.agmm.o
rg.mz/
ICDPWorkshop“DrillingtheBushveldComplex-theworld’slargestlayeredintrusion”,Johannesburg,SouthAfrica.http://tracker1.co.za/weblink/4ccb37fec8bc-4331-b377-b26af4a69ad3.htm
AnnualMeetingoftheMeteoriticalSociety,Casablanca,Morocco,http://www.meteoritical-society.org
2ndGeologicalCongressofMozambiqueand12thGeochemocalCongressofthePortugueseSpeakingCountries,Maputo,Mozambique.
KimberleyDiamondSymposiumandTradeShow.Kimberley,NorthernCape,SouthAfrica.Contact:http://www.gssa.org.za/event/kimberley-diamondsymposium-trade-show/
SPEAfricaOilandGasHSEConferenceandExhibition2014,Maputo,Mozambique,www.spe.org/events/hsea/2014/
ElectraMiningAfrica2014,Johannesburg,SouthAfricahttp://www.electramining.co.za/EN/Content/Pages/Home
41stIAHCongress,Marrakech,Morocco,http://www.iah2014.org/
SurfaceMining2014Conference,NasrecExpoCentre,SouthAfrica,http://www.saimm.co.za/saimm-events/upcomingevents?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_events.tpl&product_id=65&category_id=2
DevelopingSouthAfrica’sLocalContenttoCreateaLongterm,SustainableOil&GasIndustry,SouthAfricaLocalContent,CapeTown,SouthAfrica,http://southafrica-localcontent.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The+CWC+Group&utm_campaign=4065311_JK++SALC+2014+EM1+Dates+Announcement+&utm_content=website&dm_i=S3A,2F4TB,6U8J7E,8SVVZ,1
7thWest&CentralAfricaMiningSummit&Expo2014,Accra,Ghana,http://www.magenta-global.com.sg/wacamining2014/
The8thSouthAfricanYoungGeotechnicalEngineersConference,Stellenbosch,WC,SouthAfrica.http://www.saieg.co.za/uploads/events/YGE%20Ann
ouncement.pdf
AfricaPetroleumStorageandTransportConferenceandExhibition(APESTRANS2014),Yaounde,Cameroon.http://apestrans.com/
Uganda3rdMineralWealthConference,Kampala,Uganda.http://mwc2014.ucmp.ug/
6theditionofTheZimbabweMining&InfrastructureIndaba.Harare,Zimbabwe,http://zimminingindaba.com/
2ndConferenceonAfricanandArabianGeoparks,Dakar,Senegalhttp://www.igu-online.org/site/?wpfb_dl=126
30thAnnualConferenceSouthAfricanSocietyforAtmosphericSciences,Potschefstroom,SouthAfrica,http://www.sasas.org.za/index.php/sasas-2014
6thOrogenicLherzoliteConference,Marrakesh,Morocco,http://www.gm.univ-montp2.fr/lherzolite/
TheJoburgIndaba,SouthAfrica,http://www.joburgindaba.com/
3rdWaterbergConference,Lephalale,Limpopo,SouthAfrica,http://www.fossilfuel.co.za/3rd-waterberg-conference-15-16-october-2014/
IYCrPanAfricanandSouthAfricanSummitmeetingonCrystallographyasvehicletopromoteScienceinAfricaandbeyond,Bloemfontein,SouthAfrica,http://
conferences.ufs.ac.za/default.aspx?DCode=723
6thInternationalPlatinumConference,SunCity,SouthAfrica,http://www.saimm.co.za/saimm-events/upcomingevents?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_events.tpl&product_id=71&category_id=2
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
20
2014.10.21-22
Resettlement&Livelihoods.KrugerNationalPark,SouthAfrica.http://www.iaia.org/conferences/iaia_resettlement/index.php?AspxAutoDetectCookieS
upport=1
EnvironmentalConference,2014,Pretoria,SouthAfrica.http://envass.co.za/envirocon
PlatinumConference2014,SunCity,SouthAfrica,http://www.saimm.co.za/saimm-events/upcomingevents?page=shop.product_details&category_id=2&flypage=flypage_events.tpl&product_id=71
8thEuropeanConferenceonEcologicalModelling,ECEM2014"Beyondboundaries:nextgenerationmodelling.Marrakech,Morocco,http://ecem2014.ino
gs.it/
EarthSciencesandClimateChange:ChallengestoDevelopmentinAfrica,Windhoek,Namibiahttp://www.mme.gov.na/gsn/CAAWG7/welcome.htmlNE
WWEBSITE
3rdSenegalInternationalMiningConference&Exhibitions2014,Dakar,Senegal,http://www.events-africa.com/senegal-international-miningconference-&-exhibitions-events-africa-2014.html#
EnergyIndaba,CapeTpown,SouthAfrica,http://www.fossilfuel.co.za/19th-southern-african-coal-science-technology-conference-tbc-november2014/
MozambiqueGasSummit–StrategicConference&Exhibition,Maputo,Mozambique,http://www.mozambique-gassummit.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The+CWC+Group&utm_campaign=3609307_JK++MGS+2014+EM1+Secure+Your+Involvement+Early+&utm_content=website&dm_i=S3A,25CYJ,6U8J7E,7RFBG,1
67thAnnualMeetingoftheICCP(InternationalCommitteeforCoal&OrganicPetrology),Maputo,Mozambique.
3MA:Magmatism,Metamorphism,AssociatedMineralizations,TaroudantandAgadir(Souss,SWMorocco,)[email protected]
35thInternationalGeologicalCongress(35IGC),CapeTown,SouthAfrica.http://www.35igc.org/
2014.10.22-24
2014.10.23-24
2014.10.27-30
2014.11.03-09
2014.11.04-06
2014.11.27-28
2014.12.02-05
2015
2015.04.02-04
2016.08.272016.09.04
2016.08.27
2016.09.04
1st Circular: http://www.35igc.org/Content/Downloads/35th_IGC_AnnouncementDoc_LR.pdf
NEW
Booth of th 35 IGC at the YES/CAG25 Meeting in
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 11-16th August 2014
Rest of the World
Next Month (September):
2014.09.01-05
2014.09.05-09
2014.09.-7-11
2014.09.07-12
2014.09.09-13
2014.09.10-12
2014.09.10-12
2014.09.11-12
2014.09.14-18
2014.09.14-18
2014.09.15-17
2014.09.15-17
GEOMOD2014–ModelinginGeoscience,Berlin,Germany,http://www.geo-x.net/geomod2014
7thInternationalConferenceonGeoscienceEducation(GeoSciEd),Hyderabad,India.http://geoscied2014.webs.com/
10thInternationalCongressonExtremophiles,SaintPetersburg,Russiahttp://extremophiles2014.ru/
TheInternationalMicroscopyCongress2014,Prague,CzechRepublic,http://www.imc2014.com/
CitiesonVolcanoes8,Yogyakarta,Indonesia,http://citiesonvolcanoes8.com/
PlanetFormationandEvolution2014,Kiel,Germany,http://www1.astrophysik.uni-kiel.de/
3rdInternationalConferenceonEcohydrology,SoilandClimateChange,EcoHCC14,Tomar,Portugal.http://www.ecohcc.ipt.pt/
GeodesignSummitEurope,Delft,TheNetherlandshttp://www.geodesignsummit.com/europe/?WT.mc_id=EmailCampaigni35104
NearSurfaceGeoscience2014,Athens,Greece.http://www.eage.org/events/index.php?eventid=1013&Opendivs=s3
FifteenthAustralianCoalPreparationSociety,Broadbeach,Queensland,Australia,https://www.acps.com.au/conference-2014/home/
FirstAppliedShallowMarineGeophysicsConference,Athens,Greece,http://www.eage.org/events/index.php?eventid=1120&Opendivs=s3
UnitedNationsInternationalConferenceonSpace-basedTechnologiesforDisasterManagement"MultihazardDisasterRiskAssessment,Beijing,ChinaPR,http://www.un-spider.org/BeijingConference2014
IAEGXIICongress–EngineeringGeologyforSociety&Territory,Torino,Italy.http://www.iaeg2014.com
SeventhInternationalConferenceonDeepandHighStressMining,Sudbury,Canada,http://www.deepmining2014.com
The3rdAnnualInternationalSymposiumofCleanCoalTechnology(CCT-2014),Taiyuan,China,http://www.bitcongress.com/cct2014/default.asp
5thInternationalMaarConference,Querétaro,Mexico,http://maar2014.geociencias.unam.mx/
6thInternationalUnescoConferenceonGlobalGeoparks,SaintJohnNewBrunswick,Canadahttp://www.geoparks2014.com/main.html
UMHVII2014–UraniumMiningandHydrogeology2014,Freiburg,Germanyhttp://tu-freiburg.de/umh-vii-2014
47ºCongressoBrasileirodeGeologia(47thBrazilianCongressofGeology)Salvador,Bahia,Brazil.http://www.47cbg.com.br/
InternationalEarthScienceOlympiad(IESO2014),Santander,Spain.http://www.ieso-info.org/
IMA-Europe20thAnniversarymeeting,Brussels,Belgium,http://ima-europe-20years.of-cores.com/
SustainableCity2014-9thInternationalConferenceonUrbanRegenerationandSustainability,Siena,Italy.http://www.wessex.ac.uk/city2014?e=1-225297
XXCongressofCarpathianBalkanGeologicalAssociation,Tirana,Albania,http://www.cbga2014.org/
GeoShale2014,Warsaw,Poland,http://konferencje.pgi.gov.pl/geoshale.html
XVCongresoInternacionalsobrePatrimonioGeologicoyMinero,Logrosan,Spainfile:///C:/Users/hp/Downloads/OriginalMsg.htm
SEG2014,Keystone,CO,USA,http://www.seg2014.org
31stAnnualMeetingoftheSocietyforOrganicPetrology(TSOP),Sydney,Australiahttp://wp.csiro.au/tsop2014
2014.09.15-19
2014.09.16-18
2014.09.16-18
2014.09.17-22
2014.09.19-22
2014.09.21-25
2014.09.21-26
2014.09.22-29
2014.09.23-24
2014.09.23-25
2014.09.24-26
2014.09.24-26
2014.09.25-28
2014.09.27-30
2014.09.272104.10.03
2014.09.28- 4thInternationalPaleontologicalCongress,Thehistoryoflife:aviewfromtheSouthernHemisphere.Mendoza,Argentina,http://ipa.geo.ku.edu/pdf/IPC4.pdf
2014.10.05
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
21
2014.09.292014.10.02
2014.10.02-05
2014.10.06-09
2014.10.17-20
2014.10.21-23
2014.10.19-22
2014.10.19-26
2014.10.21-23
2014.10.27-29
2014.11.02-05
2014.11.05-07
2014.11.05-08
2014.11.06-08
2014.11.10-13
2014.11.11-13
2014.11.16-19
2014.11.21-22
2014.12.06-13
2014.12.07-09
2014.12.16-18
2015
2015.02.12-16
2015.02.19-20
30thInternationalConferenceon"OrePotentialofAlkaline,KimberliteandCarbonatiteMagmatism",Antalya,Turquiahttp://alkaline2014.com/
3rdGRF(GlobalRiskForum)OneHealthSummit2014,Davos,Switzerlandhttp://www.grforum.org/home/
31stAnnualInternationalPittsburghCoalConference,Pittsburgh,PA,USA.http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/pcc/
16thAnnualConferenceOfTheInternationalAssociationForMathematicalGeosciences,NewDelhi,India,http://www.jnu.ac.in/conference/iamg2014/default.htm
Petroleum2014-2ndInternationalConferenceonPetroleumandMineralResources,Koya,Kurdistan,Iraq.http://www.wessex.ac.uk/14conferences/petroleum-2014.html
GeologicalSocietyofAmericaAnnualMeeting,Vancouver,BC,Canada,http://www.geosociety.org/meetings
TheThirdInternationalSymposiumoftheInternationalGeoscienceProgramProject(IGCP)589,Tehran,Iranhttp://networkyes.blogspot.com.es/2014/03/the-third-international-symposium-of.html
Petroleum2014.2ndInternationalConferenceonPetroleumandMineralResources.Koya,Kurdistan,Irak,http://www.wessex.ac.uk/14conferences/petroleum-2014.html
KazGeo2014-FromChallengestoOpportunities,Almaty,Kazakhstan.http://www.eage.org/events/index.php?eventid=1108&Opendivs=s3
XIVALAGO(Latin-AmericanAssociationofOrganicGeochemistry)CongresArmaçãodosBúzios(RiodeJaneiro,Brasil).http://alago.co/blog/xiv-congressoda-alago
TheEasternUnconventionalOil&GasSymposium,Un.Kentucky,USAhttp://www.euogs.org/
74thannualmeetingoftheSocietyofVertebratePaleontology,Berlin,Germany.http://vertpaleo.org/Annual-Meeting/Home.aspx
2ndInternationalConference–UrbanTransitionsandTransformations:Science,SynthesisandPolicy,Taipei,Taiwan.http://ugec.org/2nd-international-ugecconference/
FirstInternationalConferenceonFracturedRockHydrogeologyonAmericanContinent,PortoAlegre,Brazil,http://frhgconference2014.org/
GeothermalCongress“DGK2014”,Essen,Germany,http://www.geothermie.de/aktuelles/der-geothermiekongress-2014/english.html
SecondEAGEIntegratedReservoirModellingConferenceUncertaintyQuantification:AreweDoingitRight?Dubai,UnitedArabEmirates,http://www.eage.org/events/index.php?eventid=1147&Opendivs=s3
12thSwissGeoscienceMeeting,Fribourg,Switzerland.http://geoscience-meeting.scnatweb.ch/sgm2014/index.html
IMME2014–12thInternationalMiningandMachineryExhibition,Kolkata,India,http://www.immeindia.in/
SecondEAGEForumforStudents&YoungProfessionalsMentoring,Empowering&ValuingYoungTalents,Muscat,Oman.http://www.eage.org/events/index.php?eventid=1123&Opendivs=s3
EnergyandSustainability2014-5thInternationalConferenceonEnergyandSustainability,KualaLumpur,Malaysia,http://www.wessex.ac.uk/14conferences/energy-and-sustainability-2014.html
27thInternationalCartographicConferenceand16thGeneralAssemblyofICA.RiodeJaneiro,Brazil.http://icaci.org/calendar
2015AnnualMeetingoftheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience,SanJose,Ca.,USA.http://www.aaas.org/page/2015-meeting-location-sanjose
InternationalConferenceon"CurrentperspectivesandemergingissuesinGondwanaevolution,Lucknow,India,http://www.bsip.res.in/International%20confe
rence%20.html
SMEAnnualMeetingandExhibit,Denver,USA.http://www.smenet.org/calendar/detail.cfm?eventKey=1052
24thInternationalMiningCongressandExhibitionofTurkey,Antalya,Turkey.http://imcet.org.tr/defaulten.asp
ISRM13thInternationalCongressonRockMechanics,Montreal,Canada,http://www.isrm.net/conferencias/detalhes.php?id=3024&show=conf
2015.02.22-25
2015.04.14-17
2015.04.292015.05.06
2015.05.08-05 VICubanEarthScienceConvention,Havana,Cuba.http://www.cubacienciasdelatierra.com/
2015.06.01-03 AirPollution2015,23rdInternationalConferenceonModelling,MonitoringandManagementofAirPollution,Valencia,Spain,http://www.wessex.ac.uk/air2015
?e=1-225297
2015.06.01-04 77thEAGEConference&Exhibition2015,Madrid,Spain.http://www.eage.org/index.php?evp=4021
2015.06.03-05 ECOSUD2015-10thInternationalConferenceonEcosystemsandSustainableDevelopment,València,Spain.http://www.wessex.ac.uk/15conferences/ecosud-2015.html
2015.06.22- IAVCEIGeneralAssembly,Prague,CzechRepublic,http://www.iugg2015prague.com/
2015.07.02
2015.07.06-10 9thInternationalConventiononEnvironmentandDevelopment,Havana,Cubahttp://www.cubambiente.com/
2015.08.07-15 18thInternationalCongressontheCarboniferousandPermian,Kazan,Russia.http://www.iccp2015.ksu.ru
2015.08.16-21 GoldschmidtConference2015,Prague,CzechRepublic,http://goldschmidt.info/2015/
2015.08.23-28 EuropeanCrystallographicMeeting–ECM29,Rovinj(Croatia).http://ecm29.ecanews.org/
2015.11.01-04 GSA2015,Baltimore,USA,http://www.globaleventslist.elsevier.com/events/2015/11/the-geological-society-of-america-gsa-2015-annual-meeting/
2016.06.26- GoldschmidtConference2015,Yokohama,Japan,http://goldschmidt.info/2016/
2016.07.01
2017.04.14-17 24thInternationalMiningCongressandExhibitionofTurkey(IMCET2015),Antalya,Turkeyhttp://imcet.org.tr/defaulten.asp
Julius Nyerere International Convention Center, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Foto by L. Vasconcelos.
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
22
PROFESSIONAL COURSES/WORKSHOPS/SCHOLARSHIPS
SHORT COURSE FOR INDUSTRY: CO2 CAPTURE IN POWER PLANTS
(ADVANCED COURSE CHMT7069)
HOSTED BY: The University of the Witwatersrand and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in association with the Fossil Fuel Foundation
DATE: Monday 1 September – Friday 5 September 2014
VENUE: Sturrock Park Sports Administration Campus, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
COURSE CONVENERS: Prof Nikki Wagner (Convener & lecturer, Wits)
Prof Olav Bolland (Convener and lecturer, NTNU, Norway)
With other invited speakers from Wits, SACCCS, Eskom, Sasol, CSIR, UWC
CONTACT DETAILS
Technical Enquiries:
Professor Nikki Wagner: 011717-7540 Email: [email protected]
Registrations & Course Secretariat: Mrs Lesley Stephenson 0836790697 Email: [email protected]
"Kumba-Exxaro Seminar and Short Course Series": Fundamentals of
Petroleum Geoscience: Science, Engineering and Society
By Prof Dr Christoph Heubeck,
Kumba-Exxaro Fellow 2014
8th - 10th September,
University of Pretoria, Department of Geology
http://www.gssa.org.za/KumbaExxaroHeubeckAnnouncementa.pdf
3rd SGA-SEG-UNESCO – IUGS SHORT COURSE ON AFRICAN
METALLOGENY «Mining in Africa»
Marrackech, Morocco, 29th september, 3rd October 2014
Alain CHEILLETZ: [email protected]
Or fax to +33(0)383684701
It is with great pleasure that we herewith announce the third of the SGA-SEG-UNESCO-IUGS Short Course on African Metallogeny, which is being coorganized this year by the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (SGA) and MANAGEM.
This third edition is also supported by the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf), ONHYM and the GeoRessources Laboratory from Universié de Lorraine.
Following on from the two successful courses in Burkina Faso in 2012 and in Zambia in 2013, this course will take place in Marrakech, Morocco,
fromSeptember 29th to October 3rd 2014 and is untitled «Mining in Africa».
https://www.segweb.org/pdf/events/2014/14AM3-English.pdf
The Mining Geology and Grade Control Course
20 - 22 OCTOBER 2014
LERIBA LODGE, CENTURION, SOUTH AFRICA 20–22OCTOBER2014
Please click http://www.gssa.org.za/Golder%20GradeControl%20course%202014.pdf for the information leaflet and registration form. You may
also visit our website for more information:
http://www.golder.com/eu/modules.php?name=Event_Calendar&sp_id=721&page_id=1020&student=1&alumni=0
Limited places will be available, so book now to secure your place on this well-respected course.
Cost is R17,000.00 VAT excluded. A 50% deposit is required on registration to secure your place on the course and full payment is required by
Thursday 11September
Contact-Linda Engelbrecht 0113131022 | [email protected]
Drilling Methods and Techniques in Resource Delineation
A THREE-DAY COURSE
4, 5 & 6 November 2014
Glen Hove Conferencing, Melrose, Johannesburg
COURSE LEADER – Colin Rice
This course is limited to 20 participants.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT RCA Conference Organisers
PO Box 72147 Parkview 2122
Tel +27 11 487 3819 / 2260 Fax 086 653 7108 [email protected] www.rca.co.za
http://www.gssa.org.za/GSSADrillingSkillsAnnouncem entNov2014.pdf
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
23
INTERESTING PHOTOS
Atlas and Anti-Atlas, North Africa
1.
http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/structure/anti-atlas_mountains_algeria_f_1224248634.v2.jpg
2.
http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/7000/7218/atlas_l7_2002078.jpg
3.
http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/structure/anti-atlas_mountains_morocco_f.v2.jpg
4.
http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/structure/anti-atlas_mountains_morocco_f_1224248954.v2.jpg
5.
http://serc.carleton.edu/images/NAGTWorkshops/structure/anti-atlas_mountains_algeria_f_1224248653.jpg
6.
https://www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect2/originals/Fig2_30.jpg
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
24
GEOLOGY OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES/TERRITORIES
PORTUGUESE POSSESSION IN NORTHAFRICA
MADEIRA
Adapted from: Schlüter, T., 2006. Geological Atlas of Africa. Ed. Springer. 272 pp:CD-ROM
Newsletter of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) – Nr. 8; August, 2014 – Annum 4.
25