Tuesday, September 14, 2010

“The Okavango Delta and its place in the geomorphological evolution of Southern Africa".


The Alex du Toit Memorial lecture is a bi-annual event in honour of Dr Alex
du Toit, an internationally-recognised geologist who is probably one of the
strongest contenders for Africa’s greatest geologist of the 20th Century. He
is best remembered for his books on continental drift and the geology of southern Africa. Less well known are his important scientific contributions to our understanding of the geomorphological evolution of southern Africa, including the Okavango Delta. It was here that he conducted detailed surveys in 1925, including what was possibly the first-ever photo-geological survey in southern Africa. This year’s lecture will be delivered by Professor Terence McCarthy from the School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand. It will review our present understanding of the geomorphological evolution of southern Africa from the time of the break-up of Gondwana to the present, highlighting du Toit’s contributions to the subject. The lecture will focus on the Okavango Delta, examining how it formed, how it works and how processes currently in place will ultimately destroy it. The lecture will be presented in a non-technical style and is aimed at those with a general interest in science and the world around us. The lecture will be held at the University of KwaZulu Natal School of Geological Sciences on Thursday, 30 September 2010 at 5.30 pm.

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