Areas Of Focus/Competence
The Council for Geoscience 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 three former surveys, the oldest of which — the Geological Commission of the Cape of Good Hope — was founded in 1895. The Geoscience Act (no. 100 of 1993) established the Council for Geoscience in its present form. Today, the Council for Geoscience is a modern institution that boasts excellent facilities and expertise, ranking among the best in Africa. The Act was later amended in 2010 to establish the Geoscience Amendment Act (no. 16 of 2010).
The CGS provides the following substantially different professional services:
- Geophysical airborne and ground surveys
- Geophysical data acquisition, processing and interpretation (airborne and ground)
- Engineering geosciences (including geotechnical services)
- Mineralisation systems investigations
- Water geoscience/hydrological services
- Environmental management and rehabilitation
- Marine geology including port surveys
- Spatial data and GIS services and
- Regional geological surveys and map compilations including core drilling services.
As the custodian of South Africa’s geoscience data, the Council for Geoscience presides over regional aeromagnetic, radiometric and gravity coverage of the country. The organisation is involved in collaborative research projects that form part of its annual programme. These projects keep the Council for Geoscience abreast with developments in the geosciences.
