ABOUT
THE BRANCH
We are geoscience professionals, researchers, business owners, educators, students and others who are interested the Earth sciences.
OUR HISTORY.
The Western Cape Branch of the Geological Society of South Africa is a special group for anyone interested in geology, particularly in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Our members include students, professionals and amateur geologists.
Our aim is to create opportunities for members to interact and learn while promoting geology in the Western Cape. Seminars and talks are typically arranged on a bi-monthly basis, with several field excursions to geological sites, across the province, throughout the year. We participate in conferences, workshops, and are involved in geo-education and geo-conservation throughout the Western Cape.
This local branch of the GSSA was founded in 1979. Professor Arthur Fuller was the first chairman, Dr Clive Stowe the secretary and Dr John Rogers the treasurer. Mick Mountain and Professor Gerrie Söhnge completed the founding committee. The Branch maintained a strong link to the mother society and has been instrumental in setting up a local representation of the GSSA. Through the years, academic and professional members have found it an extremely useful mechanism to communicate on recent research by arranging talks and field trips. Simultaneously, it also provided a home for many other interested parties. It provided leadership and assistance in organizing many past conferences, the biggest of which being the 1990 Geocongress and 2008 AAPG Conference. Geological heritage features strongly in the history of the branch, with the SANLAM-sponsored Geosites Project of the 1990’s having taken the lead in providing information on the geological history of selected sites. In addition, we strive to promote geology and science in education at primary, secondary and tertiary schooling levels.
OUR MISSION.
Promote Awareness
Promote awareness of geology and foster interest in the Earth sciences to the public in the region encompassing the Western Cape of South Africa.
Support Geoheritage
Foster awareness regarding the preservation of sites of geological significance in the region.
Encourage Students
Provide a forum through which students of the Earth sciences can obtain advice and support in their studies.
Facilitate Connections
Provide a social venue and professional forum for all geoscientists in the region.
Our objective is to promote and advance the Earth sciences. This includes the study of Earth sciences, associated public interests in the Earth sciences, Earth science professions and the interests of the practitioners of the Earth sciences. We strive to encourage and uphold the highest professional and ethical standards amongst our members.
Click here to apply for membership.
PARTNERS.
We are proud to have partners across the Western Cape who work with us to help promote geoscience research, geoheritage and education.
