Geoclip Volume 33
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VOLUME 33 . JUNE 2013 INSIDE: The role of the Council for The role of the Geoscience and the Department of Mineral Resources in the organisation th Council for Geoscience of the 35 IGC I 1 Danie Barnardo Ranking of major water ingress areas and the Department of in the East Rand I 2 Marubini Selaelo Mineral Resources in the Shale gas cap rocks in the Karoo Basin I 3 th Dawn Black organisation of the 35 IGC Location of seismic events in the Central Rand GoldfieldI 5 Azangi Mangongolo Open-source geophysical 3D modelling and interpretation I 6 Patrick Cole Assessment of aquatic environments in the Witwatersrand goldfieldsI 7 Vongani Maboko German-South African workshop on data integration techniques applied to Earth science data I 8 Detlef Eberle Earthquake catalogue for southern Africa I 9 Thifhelimbilu Mulabisana Geochemical mapping in KwaZulu- Natal I 10 Sibongiseni Hlatshwayo/ Eliah Mulovhedzi Promoting geoheritage in the Cape Mxolisi Kota and Richard Viljoen, Co-Presidents of the Local Organising Committee. I 12 Doug Cole At the 33rd International Geological The South African Government clearly Celebrating International Museum Congress (IGC), which was held in demonstrated its support for this event Day I 13 Oslo, Norway in 2008, the Council for by discussing the 35th IGC at a Cabinet Kholisile Nzolo Geoscience led the bid to host the Meeting on 18 April 2012. Feedback th New fluxer for the Laboratory I 14 35 IGC in 2016, supported by the from the meeting indicated that the Corlien Cloete Geological Society of South Africa Cabinet endorsed the importance of and the South African Ambassador the 35th IGC and supports the event. The Council for Geoscience cares 15 I to Norway. The comprehensive bid Annabel Graham document and a promotional video At the 34th IGC, which was held in Excellent achievement I 16 were funded by the Council for Brisbane, Australia, between 5 and Geoscience. By now it is well known 10 August 2012, the Government that the bid was won by South Africa again showed its support when the against fierce opposition from India Honourable Ms Susan Shabangu, and Morocco and that the 35th IGC will MP, Minister of Mineral Resources be held at the Cape Town International delivered an address at the closing Conference Centre from 27 August to ceremony of the congress and 4 September 2016. invited the delegates to South Africa 2 I GeoClips for the next IGC. The Chairperson • Second three CGS staff members playing a pivotal role in promoting the of the CGS Board, Prof. Ngoepe, to the Foundation to form the establishment of a Global Geopark in also promoted the 35th IGC at Secretariat of the Foundation, the Western Cape as a major legacy this congress. The Minister of the conference. The Council for continues to address the support • Provide an interest-free loan of Geoscience is also supporting the of the Department of Mineral R5 million as seed money for the promotion of the Tswaing Impact Resources to the 35th IGC during organisation of the 35th IGC. Crater as a Global Geopark. Parliamentary Budget Speeches and the Director-General of the In addition, a number of CGS staff Clearly, without the vision and Department, Dr Thibedi Ramontja, members are involved in the Local continued support of the Council for is a staunch promoter and Organising Committee (LOC) for the Geoscience and the Department of supporter of the congress. 35th IGC and Mr Mxolisi Kota, the Mineral Resources, as well as the CEO of the Council for Geoscience, Geological Society of South Africa The Council for Geoscience, as has been appointed as Co-President and all the other organisations that the principal driving force behind of the LOC. are part of the team, it would not the 35th IGC, initiated the formation be possible for South Africa to be of a not-for-profit company to take To date, all LOC meetings have been the host of the next International responsibility for the congress. It held at the Council for Geoscience, Geological Congress. also signed an agreement with the which provides continued logistical company (the 35th IGC Foundation) support for the meetings at its Head transferring the responsibility of Office in Silverton. The Western th For more information contact: organising the 35 IGC from the Cape Regional Office in Bellville also Council for Geoscience to the provides valued support when needed. Danie Barnardo Foundation. In this agreement, Secretary-General: 35th IGC the Council for Geoscience Geoheritage is one of the key +27 (0)12 841 1072 demonstrates its continued support focus areas of the 35th IGC and the [email protected] by agreeing to: Western Cape Regional Office is Ranking of major water ingress areas in the East Rand The Council for Geoscience has been pumping water in the East Rand Basin and bottom sealing of dams, in-situ tasked by the Department of Mineral when pumping ceased in February sealing of dams, gravity-assisted Resources to conduct research to 2011. Therefore, the volume of water siphon constructions and grout identify sustainable management ingressing into underground workings curtains. The water ingress areas were options to prevent ingress of surface must be reduced in order to keep the ranked, based on certain criteria, by and groundwater into underground water level below the environmental using the Analytical Hierarchy Process workings. Water ingress is the critical level (ECL). Above this level, (AHP), a multicriteria decision- movement of water from surface water in the mine void will result in the making system for expressing and environments to the subsurface outflow of contaminated water to the manipulating results mathematically. and the underground mine voids, surrounding environment. These criteria include ingress as well as groundwater regional volume, safety to humans, area of flows intersecting the underground To date, roughly fourteen major water ingress zone, properties of ingress workings. Ingress is caused by ingress areas have been identified. area (k-transmissivity), availability of preferential flow paths, both natural Eleven major water ingress areas funding, costs, ingress water quality (in the case of geological structures were previously identified by SRK (pH, EC), design and construction and water-bearing formations that in 2005, while three were added by time, dolomite and re-watering, flow promote the rapid flow of water) the Council for Geoscience in 2012. rate, surface elevation difference/aerial and man-made (in the case of mine These ingress areas contribute and volumetric increases and access workings such as shafts, inclines different volumes of water to the and permits/licensing. The ingress and tunnels providing access points underground workings. The Council areas which received the highest from the surface to the underground for Geoscience came up with several ranking values were then prioritised workings). Mining activities in the interventions to reduce the ingress for the implementation of preventive Witwatersrand gold basin have been volume. These interventions include measures. Based on the ranking ongoing for more than 125 years and river channel diversions, river channel criteria, the Council for Geoscience the Grootvlei Mine was the only mine repairs, canal constructions, draining will focus on the central Blesbokspruit Geoclips - June 2013 GeoClips I 3 and southern Blesbokspruit for river channel diversion, the Cowles Dam and Geduld Dam for bottom sealing dam intervention and river channel repair for the Van Ryn (Rynfield) Dam. Towns Industrial Area Main Roads For more information contact: Rivers and dams Wetlands Mine residue deposits Selaelo Marubini Defunct coalmine (Largo) Discharge points Water Geoscience Unit Main Reef Sub-outcrop +27 (0)12 841 1489 0 6km [email protected] Location of major water ingress areas. Shale gas cap rocks in the Karoo Basin Foredeep Stages of Age Stratigraphy Basin evolution Tatarian Overfilled Phase 250 (nonmarine) Field Kazanian Late Permian Ufimian mapping Filled phase Kungurian 260 (marine) Artinskian ERMIAN 270 P Sakmarian Early Permian Ecca Group Late 280 Underfilled phase Asselian (deep marine) 290 Early Late Carboniferous 300 fluvial marine glacial-marine Borehole SFT 2 ~30Ma stratigraphic hiatus/ 320 forebulge (basal) unconformity Serpukhovian Namurian 330 +/- onset of subduction and tectonic loading Carboniferous (end of extensional Cape Basin) Visean Cape Supergroup Early (Ma) Ecca Group stratigraphy with typical field and downhole geology. Natural gas, derived from South Africa relies on its energy undertaken jointly by the Council for hydrocarbon-rich shale formations, needs being met by the exploitation Geoscience, Inkaba yeAfrika and has the potential to be an efficient, of coal. However, owing to declining the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan clean burning and affordable energy natural reserves, there has been University is currently focusing on the source, if produced responsibly. Gas a renewed interest in alternatives Collingham Formation of the Ecca extraction from shale formations has including energy derived from shale Group, which is being considered as become a fast-growing industry in gas. With the emergence of shale a potential source and cap unit for the United States, where the energy gas as an economically viable source possible hydrocarbon reservoirs. demands from natural gas totals of fuel, there is a renewed interest in approximately 85 %, of which 22 % is the shale gas potential of the Karoo The Main Karoo Basin in southern from unconventional sources such as sediments, particularly the Whitehill Africa covers approximately shale gas. Formation of the Ecca Group. A study 600 000 km2, with a maximum 4 I GeoClips Collingham Formation Prince Albert Formation Drilling of Borehole SFT 2 near Jansenville in the Eastern Cape. preserved thickness of 5 600 m. The strata of the Karoo Supergroup the geological formations penetrated The sedimentary sequence reflects in the Eastern Cape are being by the borehole. Samples were changing environments, from glacial documented through fieldwork and the then collected from the borehole for to deep marine, deltaic, fluvial and logging of a recently drilled borehole analysis.