Upcoming Talks

Diarise these dates

16 March 2019
17h30 for 18h00
Topic:Groundwater Development of the Table Mountain Group Aquifers as part of the City of Cape Town’s New Water Programme
Presenter: Dylan Blake, Associate and Principal Geologist at Umvoto Africa
Venue: Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens

Dylan Blake is an Associate and Principal Geologist at Umvoto Africa, where he has worked since early 2007. He completed his BSc undergraduate and Honours degree studies in Geology and Environmental Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and will one day complete his long suffering MSc on the Table Mountain Group aquifers. Some of the large projects he has worked on (and continues to work on) include municipal groundwater development in the Hermanus, Stanford and Oudtshoorn areas; the City of Cape Town Table Mountain Group aquifer feasibility study and New Water Programme in the vicinity of Steenbras, Theewaterskloof and Wemmershoek Dams; groundwater exploration for proposed potash mining in the Danakil Depression of northeast Ethiopia (the hottest inhabited place on Earth); Malmani Subgroup dolomites groundwater feasibility plan within the Olifants River Water Supply System for the national Department of Water and Sanitation; and emergency groundwater supply for hospitals and community health clinics as part of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape Business Continuity Plan (where Dr Roger Parsons is his boss).

In his spare time Dylan enjoys all things science fiction related, bodyboarding (when he can find warm water), visiting places of geological wonder and geoheritage interest, and attending esoteric heavy music festivals in Europe.

6 April 2019
17h30 for 18h00
Topic: Going up in smoke? The past, present and future of the frankincense trade
Presenter: Prof Tony Cunningham
Venue: Nivenia Hall,Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens

Please note the date – for the first Saturday of the month, and not the third as usual. Come early for wine and a chat. Enquiries: Rea Borcherds 028 272 9756

Frankincense – once as valuable as gold. Ancient Egyptians used it as a fumigant and as an important ingredient in the embalming process. Demand continues, driven by use in religious ceremonies, while not much attention has been given to sustainable production. This talk will provide insight into the past, present and future of this amazing plant product.