The investigation of key mineral phases such as zircon, apatite, titanite, rutile, monazite, xenotime, allanite, baddeleyite and garnet, explored in this book, has provided breakthroughs in our understanding of continental crust composition and evolution, as well as the timing, conditions, petrogenetic and geodynamic processes related to its growth and reworking. Therefore, the continuing development of analytical techniques, improvement of tools, data handling, processing, and interpretation allow us to extract and better understand these complex geological processes. This special publication aims at showcasing contributions reviewing the tools and applications of these key minerals, recent technique developments, and new applications using focused case studies investigating igneous, metamorphic and/or detrital rocks that help us put together the continental crust evolution puzzle. This volume highlights the progress made in studies using these key minerals and their future potential.

This Scientific Bibliography of the “Far Northern Drakensberg” is a continuation by the Afromontane Research Unit of the University of the Free State (ARU) to document published and other similar works on the mountains of the summer rainfall area of South Africa. It follows “A Scientific Bibliography of the Drakensberg, Maloti and Adjacent Lowlands” which was published in 2020 (Moffett 2020), and which covered the area between the North-Eastern Cape and the North-Eastern Free State. The current work extends this northward by including articles and publications dating back to 1875 (E.Cohen, on the Lydenburg goldfields) reaching as far as the Wolkberg and Woodbush near Tzaneen in Limpopo Province. Figure 1 shows the boundary of the area covered, and although referred to as the Far Northern Drakensberg in this work, it is identical to that described as the LMEE, Limpopo, Mpumalanga & Eswatini Escarpment by Clarke et al (2022). Although slightly separate from the “lower” escarpment, the mountainous Barberton and adjacent Eswatini area, as well as the Leolo Mountains in eastern Sekhukhuneland are also included. Details on how the boundary in figure 1 was determined are given in Clark et al (2022). Bibliographies on two further ranges in the summer rainfall area, viz. the Magaliesberg in Gauteng province and the Soutpansberg in Limpopo province are to be the subject of future compilations.

This book describes the latest research on the geological, geochemical, geochronological, biological, and geomorphic evolution of the unique and relatively pristine landscape of the Cape Mountains and the Karoo Basin, a region in South Africa that is currently being targeted for shale gas exploration and development. With up-to-date graphics, maps, drill-core and seismic data, it offers the latest observations and synthesis, and highlights areas of ongoing research. The work presented also considers a wider connection of the Cape-Karoo system to other basins in Central Gondwana, including South America, thus following in the footsteps of A. L. du Toit. Clearly, there is still much to be learned before shale gas development can be considered, and this book provides some timely perspectives.