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South Africa

A photo taken from on a hill shows a populated valley surrounded by brown mountains on a cloudy day.
Posted inNews

A Swarm of Earthquakes in South Africa’s Karoo Basin Poses Questions for Oil and Gas Development

by Ray Mwareya 20 May 202620 May 2026

A recent study cautions that the Karoo, a potential target for shale gas exploration, might not be as seismologically calm as it appears.

A Google Earth image shows an area of Johannesburg, South Africa, from above. An area with mine tailings is outlined in yellow. Adjacent, a residential area is outlined in red. Black-and-white dots mark the sites of homes where the researchers collected samples.
Posted inNews

Gold Mines Expose South African Children to Uranium

by Emily Gardner 17 March 202617 March 2026

A new study found that children living near mine tailings in Johannesburg had nearly twice as much uranium in their hair as children not living near tailings—and the younger the children, the higher the uranium concentrations.

A collection of moss, algae, and rocks at the edge of a water body.
Posted inNews

Rocks Formed by Microbes Absorb Carbon Day and Night

by Grace van Deelen 27 January 202627 January 2026

Microbialite ecosystems in South Africa stored an “astonishing” amount of carbon, according to new research.

Three views of a stone point made during the Middle Stone Age
Posted inNews

Stone Age Humans Chose Their Rocks with Care

by Nathaniel Scharping 19 March 202426 March 2024

Ancient humans possessed sophisticated knowledge of the properties of the stones they used to make tools.

A researcher in a lab holds a fragment of ostrich eggshell in a gloved hand.
Posted inNews

Ostrich Eggshells Trace Namaqualand’s Ancient Rain

Kimberly M. S. Cartier, News Writing and Production Intern for Eos.org by Kimberly M. S. Cartier 14 December 202314 December 2023

The plant-based nitrogen eaten by ostriches and stored in their eggshells was measured by researchers 20,000 years later.

Posted inThe Landslide Blog

Planet Labs images of the landslides at Franschhoek in South Africa

by Dave Petley 11 October 202311 October 2023

The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. Last week, I featured a set of landslides that were triggered by heavy rainfall at Franschhoek in South Africa on 23 – 24 September 2023. My good and very kind friends at […]

Posted inThe Landslide Blog

Franschhoek: an interesting set of landslides in South Africa

by Dave Petley 2 October 20232 October 2023

Franschhoek: 299 mm of rainfall deposited by a large storm has triggered an interesting set of landslides in South Africa

A blue and white glacier over water
Posted inNews

Evidence of Earth’s Oldest Glaciers Found in South Africa

by Nathaniel Scharping 17 August 202317 August 2023

The ancient glaciers hint at an Archaean Earth that may have looked similar in some ways to our own time.

Small waves crashing on the coast with a city skyline in the background.
Posted inNews

Supersized Potholes Discovered off South African Coast

by J. Besl 8 June 20238 June 2023

Curious circular pits off South Africa’s Eastern Cape coast are larger than any similar feature previously recorded. Their origin remains a morphological mystery.

Researcher Liezel Rudolph stands next to an unmarked signpost on Marion Island.
Posted inNews

Geospatial Database for the Prince Edward Islands

by Munyaradzi Makoni 9 November 202217 November 2022

South African scientists map uninhabited islands in the Southern Ocean.

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