2017 GS-EAG Outreach

Prof. Axel Hofmann presented a short course on Early Earth Life and Mineral Systems

The short course on Early Earth Life and Mineral Systems explored the relationship between surface processes, evolution and habitat of life and the formation of mineral deposits on the early Earth. It investigated the geochemical, mineralogical, environmental and biological evolution of the Earth's surface and immediate subsurface from its volcano-sedimentary record 4.0 to 2.0 billion-years-old. The course focused on the impacts of the evolution of life on surface processes, geochemical cycles and the formation of sediment-hosted mineral deposits using modern geochemical concepts and techniques. Read more

Locations and topics of the lectures/seminars presented:

Date	Institution	Location
26-28 April	University of Ghana	Ghana
6-8 November	Ahmadu Bello University	Nigeria
13-15 November	University of Ibadan	Nigeria
16-18 November	University of Lagos	Nigeria
5-8 December	University of Dar-es-Salaam	Tanzania

2017 Outreach Lecturer: Axel Hofmann

Axel Hofmann is an Associate Professor at the Department of Geology of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He holds a doctorate from the University of Mainz in Germany and has worked as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, Wits University in Johannesburg and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. His main interest and expertise is centred on the Archaean geological record of southern Africa. His research emphasizes the importance of field work and the usage of an integrated suite of petrological and geochemical tools in order to decipher the geological history of Archaean volcano-sedimentary successions. Research is undertaken at the interface between geology, geochemistry and geobiology, utilizing analytical equipment for in-situ trace element geochemistry, geochronology and (non-traditional) stable isotope geochemistry at the micro- and nano-scale, for the understanding of Archaean surface processes, early life and sediment-hosted mineral deposits.