Research geologists focus on Barberton’s Moodies Group rocks
The group of geologists said their visit to Barberton focused on a specific rock unit, known as the Moodies Group.
International geoscientists visited Barberton from July 15 to 20 for a four-day workshop to re-examine some ancient rocks.
According to Christoph Heubeck, a professor in geology at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany and organiser of the workshop, geology field trips in the Barberton area common because of the worldwide fame the ancient rocks in the Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains enjoy. This was the first gathering to focus on a specific rock unit, known as the Moodies Group. According to Heubeck, these are the craggy high mountains above Barberton and the highest peaks in the mountainland.
“Rocks of the Moodies Group tell us about events on the surface of very early Earth. The quality and extent of this preservation are unique worldwide,” he said.
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Heubeck, a long-time visitor to Barberton, welcomed 32 scientists from 11 countries, including from South African universities and national and provincial government agencies. For many of these international visitors, it was their first time in South Africa. They had become interested in Barberton’s geology through their research on the almost 3 000m of rock cores, which resulted from the base research drilling project from 2021 to 2022.
This drilling was done under the auspices of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Programme, of which South Africa is a member.
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The objective of this workshop was to connect the information from the borehole cores, unweathered but small and drilled deep underground, to the weathered but kilometre-long rock strata in the mountains. During their four-day visit to the best rock formations, the scientists had the opportunity to see for themselves how the two different types of data complemented each other. In the field, scientists walked the mountain slopes under which the boreholes had been drilled, and compared notes. The group was welcomed by locals, including the head of the Barberton Museum, Janie Grobler, the head of the local chapter of the Geological Society of South Africa, Chris Rippon, and Barberton Tourism’s manager, Astrid Christianson.
“It’s just wonderful to see all these young enthusiastic people here,” said Christianson, “to learn more about Earth’s history and appreciate our mountains.”
Heubeck was satisfied with the results of the workshop.
“Significant scientific progress is accomplished less and less by individuals because the questions about early life have become too complex. It takes groups of specialists who work together. This workshop served as a networking platform and to agree on future collaborations.”
Senior scientists also discussed whether to repeat this workshop two years from now, and several groups stayed in Barberton to conduct more detailed geological fieldwork.
