School of Geosciences - University of Witwatersrand

Jul 19

Congratulations to Wits School of Geosciences geology and geochemistry honours alumna Nomonde Miya on receiving the 2025 Haughton Award at the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA) awards ceremony on 17 July 2025. The GSSA presents the Haughton Award annually, which recognises the most outstan...Read more

Congratulations to Wits School of Geosciences geology and geochemistry honours alumna Nomonde Miya on receiving the 2025 Haughton Award at the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA) awards ceremony on 17 July 2025. The GSSA presents the Haughton Award annually, which recognises the most outstanding BSc Honours research thesis in Earth Sciences from a South African university. Nomonde received this award for her honours thesis, titled “Tectonomagmatic History of Anorthosite and Orthogneiss in the Qaqortorsuaq Anorthosite Mine, Southern West Greenland: Constraints from Zircon U-Pb Geochronology”, which was recognised as the best thesis countrywide. “Receiving the Haughton Award means so much to me – it’s a reflection of hard work, perseverance, countless late nights and a deep love for geosciences. I’m grateful to the Wits School of Geosciences and everyone who’s supported me along the way,” Nomonde says. Congratulations, Nomonde. Your success is a genuine motivation to other students in the scientific community.

Jul 18

Congratulations to Professor Glen Nwaila, Director of the African Research Centre for Ore System Science at the Wits School of Geosciences, on being awarded the prestigious Des Pretorius Memorial Award for 2025. Prof. Nwaila is recognised for his substantial contribution to economic geology in Afri...Read more

Congratulations to Professor Glen Nwaila, Director of the African Research Centre for Ore System Science at the Wits School of Geosciences, on being awarded the prestigious Des Pretorius Memorial Award for 2025. Prof. Nwaila is recognised for his substantial contribution to economic geology in Africa, particularly his outstanding work in mineral exploration technology, machine learning, geodata science and mineral resource estimation. His methodologies and scientific advances have important applications at the interface of academia and industry. “The Des Pretorius Memorial Award marks a new chapter in my pursuit for rigorous, curiosity-driven research where each data point becomes a stepping-stone towards scientific progress that benefits African communities, academia and the mining industry. I hope this recognition inspires my students and ignites passion in the next generation of geoscientists. My sincere thanks go to the Wits School of Geosciences for fostering the enabling environment in which I can pursue my passion,” says Prof. Nwaila. The Wits School of Geosciences is proud of Dr Nwaila’s achievement and looks forward to his ongoing success and impact in this societally and economically relevant discipline.

Jul 7

This week we have Prof. David Harper, visiting from Durham University, presenting a Geotalk on "Understanding early animal biodiversity: Jumps and bumps or steady as we go?” Date: Thurs 10th July Time: 16h00 Venue: Hall G101 - Geosciences Zoom Meeting ID: 97168403738 Join Zoom Meeting #wits #w...Read more

This week we have Prof. David Harper, visiting from Durham University, presenting a Geotalk on "Understanding early animal biodiversity: Jumps and bumps or steady as we go?” Date: Thurs 10th July Time: 16h00 Venue: Hall G101 - Geosciences Zoom Meeting ID: 97168403738 Join Zoom Meeting #wits #witsforgood #witsgeosciences #geotalks

Jun 27

Celebrating our students' hard work!! Wits Geosciences is happy to share the incredible achievements of our science students who received Faculty of Science prizes! Every year, the Dean of Science gives out these awards to celebrate the top academic performance and amazing science projects that ...Read more

Celebrating our students' hard work!! Wits Geosciences is happy to share the incredible achievements of our science students who received Faculty of Science prizes! Every year, the Dean of Science gives out these awards to celebrate the top academic performance and amazing science projects that showcase our students’ enthusiasm and commitment. This time around, we celebrated the excellence of these awesome students in areas such as science innovation, high marks in Geology and Geosciences, leadership and many more. Huge congrats to all the students who took home an award!

Jun 20

Exciting news! A scientific research report into meteorite fragments linked to the Nqweba bolide – a rare fireball event that occurred in the Eastern Cape on 25 August 2024 – has just been released. The discovery sparked a collaborative scientific investigation involving Nelson Mandela Universit...Read more

Exciting news! A scientific research report into meteorite fragments linked to the Nqweba bolide – a rare fireball event that occurred in the Eastern Cape on 25 August 2024 – has just been released. The discovery sparked a collaborative scientific investigation involving Nelson Mandela University, Wits University, Rhodes University and the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA). Co-author Professor Roger Gibson of the Wits School of Geosciences marks it as a significant moment for planetary science and positions the research’s impact at the forefront of cosmic and geological contributions. This is just the beginning. This significant planetary event is an ongoing focus of the Wits' meteorite team, Roger Gibson, Lew Ashwal and Leonidas Vonopartis. Meteorites are the oldest solid materials in our solar system and help scientists understand the origins and evolution of planets. Research into meteorites has unlocked new insights into how the solar system was formed and assists with geoscience education. The discovery of the Nqweba bolide: Informs the next generation of geoscientists from Africa and around the globe Helps advance the frontiers of knowledge in planetary and Earth sciences Assists in pushing public understanding of Earth’s position in the wider solar system, making planetary information more accessible and relevant to society Read more about the discovery here: Nqweba Bolide Report #WitsGeosciences #NqwebaBolide #WitsForGood #Wits