The Council for Geoscience (CGS) is one of the National Science Councils of South Africa and is the legal successor of the Geological Survey of South Africa, which was formed in 1912 by the amalgamation of 3 former Surveys, the oldest of which - the Geological Commission of the Cape of Good Hope - was founded in 1895. The Geoscience Act, Act 100 of 1993, established the CGS in its present form. Today, the Council is a modern institution, boasting excellent facilities and expertise, ranking among the best in Africa.

The CGS has acquired a sound knowledge of African geology, based on more than a 100- year history of mapping in Africa, mostly in South Africa and Namibia, and a proud record of publications of maps on various scales, as well as numerous publications (Handbooks, Memoirs, Bulletins, Map Explanations, etc). The latest edition of the handbook on the Mineral Resources of South Africa (1998) is a major achievement.

The CGS actively participates in a variety of SADC projects aimed at promoting the economic development of the African sub-continent. Reports on diamonds, dimension stone, bauxite and heavy minerals have been completed and are in press, whereas projects on gold, copper/ cobalt, and gemstones are in progress.

 

ACTIVITIES

The Council for Geoscience is actively engaged in various activities within and outside the borders of South Africa, including:

Geological Mapping	Laboratory Services
Metallogenic Mapping	Wet-chemical Determinations
Geotechnical Mapping	Geotechnical Analytical Services
Economic Geology	Optical- and Electron Microscopy
Engineering Geological Site Investigations	Petrographic Descriptions
Geochemical Surveys	Mineralogy
Seismology	X-ray Diffractometry
Ground-water Investigations	X-ray Fluorescence
Coastal Erosion Studies	Map Production
Marine Geology	Geological Maps
Environmental Impact Assessments	Seismic Hazard Maps
Palaeontology	Metallogenic Maps
Data Analysis, design and Compilation of Geoscience Databases	Geophysical Maps, including Magnetic, Radiometric and Gravity Maps
Information Management and Dissemination	Geoscience Publications in various formats
Airborne and ground-based Geophysical Surveys and Interpretations	Geographic Information System Development and Spatial Database Design

  

SERVICES

Information and Collections Management	Spatial Data Management
Geophysics	Water Geoscience
Seismology	Laboratory Services
Geochemistry	Environmental Geoscience
Minerals Development	Marine Geoscience
Engineering Geosciences

 

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

International cooperative projects that have been carried out, or are in progress, include geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and the production of maps in many countries, either on a bilateral basis, i.e. Mozambique, Angola, Benin, Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, Congo and Burkina Faso, and Morocco, or collaboratively in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.

Concerning the former, the CGS’s present engagement in contract mapping for the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Kingdom of Morocco, is particularly noteworthy.