Two students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) have been honoured with prestigious national awards from the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA), recognising their academic excellence and outstanding contributions to geological research.
Ms Tamera Heeralal, a Marine Geologist and MSc graduate from UKZN, was awarded the 2025 John Handley Award for the best MSc thesis in geology produced at a South African university. Her thesis, “Submerged gravel shorelines of the Inner to Mid-Shelf Offshore Hottentot’s Bay, Namibia”, investigates ancient diamond-bearing shoreline deposits submerged beneath the Atlantic Ocean off Namibia’s coast.
Over millions of years, the Orange River transported diamond-rich gravel to the coastline during low sea-level stands. As sea levels rose, these gravel beaches were submerged and preserved beneath marine sediments. Using high-resolution sub-bottom sonar (akin to an “X-ray” of the seafloor), multibeam bathymetry, and data from over 6,400 boreholes, Heeralal reconstructed the ancient land surface and stratigraphy. Her work mapped submerged beach systems and revealed how geological features such as embayments and rock-bound straits played a role in protecting these deposits from erosion.
Her findings not only provide crucial insights into how coastlines responded to historic sea-level fluctuations—an increasingly relevant topic in the context of modern climate change—but also assist offshore diamond mining efforts by identifying likely zones of gravel accumulation. With nearly four years of offshore experience working along the west coast of South Africa and Namibia for a diamond mining company, Heeralal currently operates from a survey vessel where she collects, processes, and interprets geophysical data to guide early-stage marine mineral exploration. She also spends time on sampling vessels, logging and analysing sediment samples recovered from the ocean floor.
Heeralal has published three journal articles from her masters, all in high-ranking Q1 international publications
Ms Ishta Maharaj, a current MSc candidate at UKZN, received the SACNASP Award for her exceptional academic performance in 2024. She completed her BSc Honours degree summa cum laude, achieving an overall average of 81% and earning first-class passes in all her subjects. Her Honours dissertation, “Strain analysis of ocelli and pillows in komatiites of the Buffalo River Greenstone Belt, KwaZulu-Natal”, involved extensive fieldwork, research, and data analysis.
Her study focused on whether ocelli—rounded, leucocratic primary features found in volcanic rocks that deform over time—could serve as reliable kinematic indicators for strain analysis, similar to the better-known pillow structures. By applying Shape Preferred Orientation (SPO) software, she demonstrated that both ocelli and pillows experienced similar deformation patterns, reflecting east-west compression and north-south extension. The results indicated increasing finite strain from north to south across the study area, likely due to proximity to a shear zone. Maharaj concluded that ocelli may indeed be used effectively as strain markers in structural geology.
Her dissertation received a mark of 83%, complementing her high aggregate and leading to her recognition by the GSSA. Currently, Maharaj is pursuing her Master’s research, which uses Machine Learning techniques to identify the preferential trapping of high-quality alluvial diamonds in offshore structural basins near Hottentot’s Bay, southern Namibia. The project is funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and the NRF Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (CIMERA) in collaboration with the Trans Hex Group. Maharaj is also working on publishing her Honours research and continues to grow her academic profile.
The awards were formally presented at a ceremony held on 17 July 2025. Both students credit their supervisors, families, and peers for their support and continue to represent UKZN at the forefront of geological research and innovation in South Africa.
