PPM Bi-Annual Report 2017 & 2018 The Bi-Annual Report for the PPM Research Centre DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG The Bi-annual Report of the PPM Research Centre for the two years 2017 and 2018, compiled by Jan Kramers. Layout and design by UJ Graphic Studio Special thanks/Acknowledgements We wish to extend a special word of thanks to all our corporate and governmental financial and logistical supporters (in alphabetical order): African Rainbow Minerals Anglo American Anglo Coal Anglo Gold Ashanti Anglo Platinum Anglo Research Assmang Assore Coaltech Council of Geoscience Cradle of Humankind Trust of Gauteng De Beers Consolidated Mines Department of Science and Technology (DST) Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD) Golder Associates Impala Platinum Kumba Iron Ore Lonmin National Research Foundation (NRF) Nkomati Joint Venture Rand Uranium (Gold One) Sibanye Stillwater South 32 Two Rivers Platinum Mine Vale Vedanta Resources Please direct all enquiries and proposals for research to: Dr Bertus Smith, Prof. Jan Kramers or Prof. Fanus Viljoen or PPM, Department of Geology University of Johannesburg Auckland Park Kingsway Campus PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006 Johannesburg, South Africa E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] Tel: +27(0)11 559 4701 Fax: +27(0)11 559 4702 Cover photo: Product being poured at the ferrochrome smelter near Machadodorp. Photo B. Cairncross Header photo: The landscape at Aggeneys, Northern Cape. Photo: Trishya Owen-Smith Footer photo: Stalagmite Phalanx at Cango Caves. Photo: Trishya Owen-Smith Both footer and header photos were taken on the Honours field trip, September 2018. INTRODUCTION The present report on activities noted that PPM has a relatively refereed journal publications and of the Palaeoproterozoic large percentage of part-time book chapters and 54 conference Mineralization (PPM) research MSc and PhD candidates. It is presentations in the ambit of Centre of the UJ Geology important to continue offering PPM were counted. For 2018, Department differs from the norm, this opportunity to graduates that the numbers are 68 (of which 3 in that it covers two years: 2017 are employed, and it is further in the ‘Nature’ stable) and 89, and 2018. This does not reflect an attractive option for the respectively. a lessened activity over these University, as no bursaries need to The fields of Economic Geology two years than before, nor is it be sought. However, completing and Geometallurgy remain a the new norm: it is a once-off an MSc and particularly a PhD strong research focus, now shared anomaly resulting from budgetary project on a part-time basis is with and clearly strengthened by constraints in 2018, caused by a daunting challenge. Some CIMERA as well as the SARChi unexpected salary obligations. In part-time students have been Chair in Geometallurgy. In 2018 contrast, the move of the PPM promoted, even to director level, this Chair was extended for a colloquium to early in the year in the organizations where they further five-year period, and is hoped to be a lasting change, work and this comes with a upgraded to Tier one, with Prof. which will also show the PPM greater responsibility and work Fanus Viljoen being confirmed Centre as a separate (although load. In such cases it is the duty as the incumbent. Meanwhile peacefully coexisting) entity of supervisors within PPM to make CIMERA has been reviewed in from the interuniversity Centre of sure that these candidates do not 2018 and is set to continue for Excellence for Integrated Mineral become the victims of their own another five years. The basis for and Energy Resource Analysis success, in terms of graduating, continued Economic Geology and (CIMERA), and better demonstrate and it has been good to see Geometallurgy research can thus the diversification of PPM. The that the Faculty and University be considered very stable. Further, years reported on here are the first academic instances have shown due to Prof. Sebastian Tappe two of the current funding cycle understanding. joining UJ, a strong component of Research Centres at UJ. In the PPM’s multidisciplinary of kimberlite and related deep current year, 2019, the UJ Research diversification of research, mantle research has been added. Centres will be again reviewed. initiated in 2014 and 2015 to The projects and cooperations, Also, during this year, Jan Kramers coexist optimally with the both nationally and internationally, will stand down as Director of PPM CIMERA Centre of Excellence are too numerous to list in this and Dr Bertus Smith will take on (as a University Research Centre, introduction and an impression this responsibility. PPM has inherently more freedom can be gleaned from the section While in the previous review of movement in its scientific “selected Research Projects and process (2016) the continuation endeavours than an NRF-funded Progress” and the publications lists. of the PPM Centre for 2017- one), has five main focus clusters Internationalization within Africa 2019 was ‘highly recommended’, (see Organigram): (i) the core itself has a number of facets. In one criticism was that (while the discipline of ore deposit geology 2017, three junior Staff members of number of graduate students (now combined with coal and the University of Ghana registered in the Centre was high) the rate hydrocarbon geology), (ii) at UJ for the PhD programme, at which they completed their geometallurgy and kimberlite with research projects centered projects and graduated was research, (iii) Precambrian on Ghanaian geology. In 2016, sluggish. We can now report that environments, Geochronology and PPM had specifically endorsed in 2017, eight MSc and four PhD Tectonics, (iv) Palaeomagnetism their applications for TWAS-NRF candidates graduated, and in and Sediment Provenance, and PhD bursaries with placement 2018, five MSc candidates. Overall (v) Subrecent, Environmental and at UJ. Accordingly, the Centre the trend is upwards. It must be Medical Geology. For 2017, 55 supplied them with research 1 infrastructure (such as computers) University, University of Fort Hare, et al., 2017); see publications and supported their analytical and the Council for Geosciences. list. In another development, work at SPECTRUM. To a large The study under CIMERA’s KAREN cooperation with physicists Dr extent, their field work and that of project of samples of Karoo shales Stephan Woodborne, Dr Stephan their supervisors was also funded with gas potential continued Winkler and Dr Vela Mbele at through PPM. The progress of in the project years. So did the iThemba Labs Johannesburg has their research is sketched out in participation in the international led to the first analytical work the section ‘Selected Research ERA-MIN consortium project on on cosmogenic nuclides 10Be Projects and Progress’. Generally, “Charphite”. and 26Al to determine erosion the number of graduate students The Medical Geology research rates and surface exposure ages, from other African countries is group headed by Prof. Hassina to be carried out on the African increasing, and this is particularly Mouri comprised 8 Msc and 2 continent, which is a breakthrough visible in Coal Petrology and PhD students through 2017 and in the study of landscape evolution Medical Geology. 2018. A major event in 2018 was in South Africa. In a related The establishment of coal their participation in the European development, PPM together with petrography as a research focus Geosciences Union conference the Centre for Anthropological has become consolidated within held in Vienna from April 8 Studies (CfAR) in the Faculty of PPM in the reporting years, as to 13, with nine mainly poster Humanities, Prof. Shahed Nalla shown by the large number of presentations (see the collection of the Faculty of Health Sciences graduate students in this subject of abstracts in the Selected and particioants from the Faculty (see organigram and listing of Research Projects and Progress). of Engineering, have worked graduate students). Dr Ofentse Among these projects, two involve towards an interfaculty Institute Marvin Moroeng, previously an cooperation with Kenya, and of Palaeo-Science at UJ, which Assistant Lecturer, has been one each with Ghana, Namibia was approved by the UJ Senate in appointed as a Lecturer following and Nigeria. Further, three of 2018. the completion of his PhD degree, the projects are carried out Last but not least, early in 2018 thus greatly strengthening the with the Department of Applied PPM members published a subject at UJ: since Prof. Wagner Chemistry at UJ. Thus the Medical detailed petrographic study of the has been appointed as the new Geology initiative highlights both diamond-bearing extraterrestrial Director of CIMERA, with new internationalization within Africa, stone named “Hypatia”, which strategic and administrative and interdisciplinary research. showed that the parent body of duties, it is fortunate that there Research on cave deposits this carbonaceous, silicate-free is a second-in-command in this related to hominin evolution has object had never been significantly discipline. The demand for the coal involved cooperation with Profs. heated before its encounter with petrographic facility has continued Lee Berger and his research the Earth, probably originated in 2017 and 2018. The specialized group at Wits, Prof. John Hawks outside the orbit of Jupiter or coal petrographic microscope, of the University of Wisconsin, possibly even Neptune, and should originally purchased with USA as well as research groups ultimately provide information on substantial PPM support, continues in Australia, coordinated by the chemistry of interstellar clouds to be used on a daily basis by Prof. Paul Dirks of James Cook (Belyanin et al. in the 2018 list). UJ staff and students, as well as University, Townsville, Queensland. Thanks to Ms Therese van Wyk of by (and on behalf of) external This has led to co-authorship of the UJ strategic partnerships unit, postgraduates. The latter are PPM members in two important this research reached an audience from Wits (Geology and Mining), papers in eLIFE on the age of of at least 20 million people University of Limpopo, Botswana Homo naledi (Dirks et al.