Hofmeyr


Book Description

This edited volume provides the historical and geological background, as well as the details pertaining to the morphology and morphometric assessments, of a singular human cranial specimen from the Late Pleistocene discovered in Hofmeyr, South Africa. The chapters are divided into 4 main sections. Section 1 discusses the discovery and historical context of the skull, while section 2 addresses its geological and geochronological contexts through dating and stable isotope analyses. Section 3 details the general morphological and morphometric analyses (description, 3-D reconstruction, morphological comparisons), and section 4 details the specific morphological analyses performed (inner ear, dentition, endocranial morphology and size). The volume will be of interest to professional and student paleoanthropologists interested in the later phases of human evolution.




Southern African Landscapes and Environmental Change


Book Description

This volume provides a textbook and reference work on the physical and biotic landscapes of Southern Africa. It examines the links between these environments and the ways in which they have been, are and will likely be subject to change. It covers the geomorphology, soils, vegetation and land use across a range of landscapes, including mountains, coasts, savannah, drylands and wetlands, and identifies the impacts of current and potential climate change and other factors on these environments. The geographical focus is on the region defined by Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland. Illustrated throughout in full colour, the book will serve as a reference volume for researchers and environmental professionals internationally, as well as a textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate-level students of geography, ecology and environmental studies in Southern Africa.







Ancient Supercontinents and the Paleogeography of Earth


Book Description

Ancient Supercontinents and the Paleogeography of Earth offers a systematic examination of Precambrian cratons and supercontinents. Through detailed maps of drift histories and paleogeography of each continent, this book examines topics related to Earth's tectonic evolution prior to Pangea, including plate kinematics, orogenic development, and paleoenvironments. Additionally, this book discusses the methodologies used, principally paleomagnetism and tectonostratigraphy, and addresses geophysical topics of mantle dynamics and geodynamo evolution over billions of years. Structured clearly with consistent coverage for Precambrian cratons, this book combines state-of-the-art paleomagnetic and geochronologic data to reconstruct the paleogeography of the Earth in the context of major climatic events such as global glaciations. It is an ideal, up-to-date reference for geoscientists and geographers looking for answers to questions surrounding the tectonic evolution of Earth. - Provides robust paleogeographies of Precambrian cratons based on high-quality paleomagnetic and geochronologic data and critically tested by global geological datasets - Includes links to updated databases for the Precambrian such as PALEOMAGIA and the Global Paleomagnetic Database (GPMDB) - Presents full-color maps of the drift histories of each continent as well as their paleogeographies - Discusses key questions regarding continental drift, the supercontinent cycle, and the geomagnetic dipole hypothesis and analyzes palaeography in the context of Earth's holistic evolution




Processes on the Early Earth


Book Description

"This Special Paper presents a collection of 19 papers contributed to a joint Field Forum organized by the Geological Society of America and the Geological Society of South Africa in July 2004 in the Barberton Greenstone Belt and the Vredefort Dome, South Africa. The papers cover a wide variety of themes, including Archean and Proterozoic crust formation and geodynamics (with an appraisal of evidence of Archean subduction processes); the significance of impacts in the evolution of the early Earth's crust; traces of early life in Archean environments of Australia and South Africa and related studies of depositional environments; and processes affecting the giant Witwatersrand gold deposit."--Publisher's website.







Large Rivers


Book Description

An updated treatment of management and geomorphology of large rivers around the world The newly revised Second Edition of Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management delivers a thoroughly updated exploration of the form and function of major rivers. The book brings together a set of papers on the large rivers of the world, offering readers an insightful examination of a demanding subject. The new Second Edition of the book includes fully updated and revised chapters, as well as two entirely new chapters on the Ayeyarwady and the Arctic rivers. This fascinating volume describes the environmental requirements for creating and maintaining a major river system, case studies on over a dozen large rivers from different continents in a variety of physical environments, and the measurement and management of large rivers. Unmatched in scope, Large Rivers sheds light on a subject lacking in comprehensive study. Readers will benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to the geology of large river systems, hydrology and discharge, transcontinental moving and storage of sediment, and the greatest floods and largest rivers An exploration of the classification, architecture, and evolution of large-river deltas Discussions of sedimentology and stratigraphy of large river deposits, including their recognition in the ancient record and the distinction from incised valley fills An examination of the effects of tectonism, climate change, and sea-level change on the form and behavior of the modern Amazon river and its floodplain Measurement and management of large rivers The effect of climatic change on large rivers Perfect for postgraduate students and researchers in fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, sedimentary geology, and river management, Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management will also earn a place in the libraries of engineers and environmental consultants in the private and public sectors working on major rivers around the world.




Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern Africa


Book Description

Ongoing climate change necessitates advances in our understanding of the interrelationships between climate, landscape-shaping processes and human activity over long time periods, especially in areas that are already climatically stressed. This volume presents new ideas on macroscale landscape evolution; mountain, fluvial and aeolian processes; and environments in southern Africa, a key region in the story of human evolution during the last two million years. Interdisciplinary in scope, it brings together an international team of experts to synthesise the latest research and understanding of landscape-human relationships in this region. It incorporates results from the emerging fields of geoarchaeology and cultural landscapes and utilises the latest data and analytical techniques. A key reference for researchers studying hominid evolution, geoarchaeology and environmental change, it provides a benchmark study of southern African landscape evolution during the Quaternary. It will also appeal to professionals and policymakers with interests in future human-landscape evolution in southern Africa.




A Global Synthesis of the Ordovician System: Part 2


Book Description

The Ordovician was one of the longest of the geological periods, characterized by major magmatic and tectonic activity, an immense biodiversification, swings in climate and sea levels, and the first Phanerozoic mass extinction. ‘A Global Synthesis of the Ordovician System’ is presented in two volumes in The Geological Society, Special Publications. Whereas the first volume (SP532) concentrates on general aspects and a synthesis of the Ordovician geology of Europe, this volume (SP533) includes reviews of Ordovician successions of most other parts of the world. The classic successions of the Ordovician basins of North America are presented, as well as those of China where several of the Ordovician Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points are defined. The volume also includes syntheses of the Ordovician geology of Africa, South America, most regions of Asia from the Near to the Far East along with Central Asia, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.