Welcome to Fossils by Firelight

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Welcome to fossils by firelight - a series of conversations with South Africa's geological legends where they unearth their discoveries, their learnings, memories, interesting stories (and maybe a few tall tales) to chronicle our history and inspire the next generation of geological heroes.

18 Sep 2021 English South Africa Personal Journals · Earth Sciences

Other recent episodes

Platinum - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Hosts Noleen Pauls and Sifiso Siwela talk to three professionals who cut their teeth in the platinum industry. From fixing drill rigs to 2,000m underground to MBAs and future opportunities, Dennis Hoffman, Gordon Chunnett and Ken Lomberg covered it all. Our guests also emphasised the importance of underground experience for…

17 Feb 1 hr 09 min

From Junior Exploration Geologist to Director

In this episode, intrepid explorers Dr Humphrey Mathe, James Campbell, and Oliver Barker talk to hosts Sifiso Siwela and Noleen Pauls about cold showers, actual drilling experiences, books on walls, and broken diamonds. We trace the paths from their early days in the field and what it takes to become…

8 Jun 2023 1 hr 22 min

The Golden Days of the Witwatersrand

In this episode Noleen Pauls and fellow host Kathryn James-Kleynhans delve into the birth of Johannesburg and the role played by gold and the early prospectors, with renowned geologists Prof Bruce Cairncross, Prof Gillian Drennan, Prof Richard Viljoen and Frank Gregory. Our geological heroes also discuss the importance of preserving…

13 May 2022 1 hr 08 min

Diamonds are Forever

The high pressure path and tenacity of the rough diamonds. Today, Sifiso Siwela and Tania Marshall (GSSA president and a diamond legend in her own right) talk to Mike de Wit, John Ward, and Renato "Spaggs" Spaggiari all three distinguished geological heroes in the diamond fields. Mike, John, Spaggs and…

2 Feb 2022 1 hr 26 min

The Big Five (or Six or Seven) Houses that shaped South African Mining

Working as geologists during the glory days of the big mining houses. Guests: Richard Viljoen, Frank Gregory, Ron Hieber, Phil Bentley, Roy Corrans and Derek Kyle. In this episode our five distinguished geological legends talk to hosts Noleen and Sifiso about their time working for the big mining houses. We…

29 Oct 2021 1 hr 13 min

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