Keynote speaker: Nonny Vilakazi
Conveners: Helke Mocke

The African geological record is a treasure trove of information that sheds light on the continent's past, including its paleontology, ancient environments, and paleoclimates. Fossil discoveries from Africa have revolutionized our understanding of human evolution, with significant findings such as the remains of early hominins in East Africa providing crucial insights into our evolutionary history. Additionally, the continent's diverse fossil assemblages offer glimpses into ancient ecosystems, revealing the presence of now-extinct megafauna like mammoths and saber-toothed cats. By studying sedimentary rocks, researchers can reconstruct past environments and climates. For instance, ancient lake deposits, marine sediments, and pollen records provide evidence of past hydrological changes, sea level fluctuations, and shifts in vegetation patterns. The African geological record, coupled with paleontological and paleoclimatic studies, provides a unique perspective on the continent's deep-time history and contributes to our broader understanding of Earth's evolutionary processes.

ST01_S01-Palaeontology, Ancient Environments and Palaeo-Climate
Conveners: Helke Mocke, Collen-Issia Uahengo, Brigitte Senut, Martin Pickford

The palaeontology of Africa spans a long time period from the Archean to Recent and has always attracted scientists worldwide. The African continent is perhaps best known for its hominin fossil finds, which include Mrs. Ples (Australopithecus africanus), Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis), Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Paranthropus boisei, Orrorin tugensis and Homo naledi to name a few. However, many more other types of fossils have been found including dinosaurs, therapsids, the first multicellular organisms known as the Ediacara, microfossils, invertebrates, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, plant fossils and trace fossils. Such fossils have helped to better understand past environments, biodiversities, climates and biogeographies. In addition, these varied fossils have been used to study species relationships, evolution of groups, organismal characteristics and traits, and extinction events. Palaeontology continues to play a crucial role in the dating of geological units and refining Africa’s stratigraphy. Climate modelling of ancient times, based usually on microfossils can be used to make inferences on the current climate change debate and palaeontological extinction events shed light on the interplay of climate change and natural catastrophic events. During this year’s CAG we would like to see various topics presented including, palaeo climate, new insight into extinction events, palaeotourism, new fossil discoveries, evolutionary linkages between various groups, insights into hominin behaviours, taphonomic studies of fossil sites in Africa, Ediacara and dinosaurs, to name a few.

ST01_S02 Sequence stratigraphy of Africa
Conveners: Collen-Issia Uahengo and Ansger Wanke

Sequence stratigraphy is a valuable framework for understanding the geological history and depositional patterns of different regions, including Africa. Africa's diverse tectonic history, varying paleoenvironments, and sedimentary basins have contributed to the development of distinct sequence stratigraphic patterns across the continent. From the expansive Saharan desert to the fertile Niger Delta, Africa showcases a wide range of sedimentary sequences. The integration of well data, seismic interpretation, and outcrop studies has allowed researchers to identify and map depositional sequences, their bounding surfaces, and facies associations. These sequence stratigraphic analyses provide crucial insights into past sea-level changes, climate variations, and sedimentary responses, shedding light on the evolution of Africa's landscapes and the formation of its significant hydrocarbon reservoirs.

ST01_S03- Nannostratigraphic study of the Cretaceous/Paleogene formations of the West Africa sedimentary basin: Evolution of depositional environments

Conveners: N. Zagbayou, M. Ennin Tetchie, Z. B. Digbehi, and Traore Famoussa 

The nannostratigraphic study of the Cretaceous/Paleogene formations within the West Africa sedimentary basin offers valuable insights into the evolution of depositional environments during this pivotal geological period. By analyzing microfossils such as calcareous nannofossils, researchers can decipher the changing paleoenvironments, including variations in water depth, sea surface temperature, and nutrient availability. The nannostratigraphic record reveals the presence of distinctive assemblages and zonations, allowing for the identification of biostratigraphic markers and the correlation of sedimentary sequences across the basin. Through careful examination of the nannofossil flora and their distribution patterns, scientists can reconstruct the depositional history of the West Africa sedimentary basin, highlighting shifts in oceanic circulation patterns, sea level fluctuations, and the development of different depositional settings such as shallow marine, deltaic, and deep marine environments. Such studies contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the basin's geological evolution and aid in the exploration and characterization of hydrocarbon reservoirs within the region.