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Dr Clarisa Vorster
Senior Lecturer
Biography Dr. Clarisa Vorster has a PhD (Geology) and an MSc (Chemistry) from the University of Johannesburg. She was appointed as a lecturer in 2013 upon completion of her PhD. She is a geochronologist specializing in
Last reviewed: 2026/07/15
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Biography Dr. Clarisa Vorster has a PhD (Geology) and an MSc (Chemistry) from the University of Johannesburg. She was appointed as a lecturer in 2013 upon completion of her PhD. She is a geochronologist specializing in detrital zircon age determinations and provenance determination of sedimentary units. Her PhD research project focused on the U-Pb age determination of detrital zircon populations in the Phanerozoic Cape and Lower Karoo Supergroups by means of Laser Ablations ICP-MS. Some of the study areas for this project included the Western and Southern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Southern Argentina and the Falkland Islands. Together with her postgraduate students, her research is currently focused on the U-Pb age determination and provenance of detrital zircons from the smaller basins of the Karoo Supergroup. Together with her postgraduate students, her research is currently focused on the U-Pb age determination and provenance of detrital zircons from various sedimentary successions. She is also part of an international team of scientists investigating the Moodies Group (Barberton Supergroup) as part of the ICDP-BASE (International Continental Drilling Program- Barberton Archean Surface Environments) initiative. Her research is supported by both the PPM (Paleoproterozoic Mineralization) and DSI-NRF-CIMERA (Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis) research centers. Dr. Vorster is also responsible for maintaining the zircon sample preparation and Laser Ablation ICP-MS laboratories at SPECTRUM (the central analytical facility at UJ), where she is actively involved in training students and technical assistants in zircon sample preparation and LA-ICP-MS analysis of samples. Research interests U-Pb age determination and provenance of detrital zircons of the Barberton, Transvaal, Cape and Karoo Supergroups. Teaching responsibilities Sedimentology and Stratigraphy Basin analysis Applied and Environmental Mineralogy Introduction to Geological Field Methods First Year Field School Geological Field Techniques Second Year Field School Recent publications Vorster, C., Ngobeli, R., Beukes, N.J. (2024) Detrital zircon ages and proposed provenance of the Koegas Subgroup of the Ghaap Group, and overlying Makganyene Formation, of the Postmasburg Group, Transvaal Supergroup. South African Journal of Geology . 127 (2) 391-420. https://doi.org/10.25131/sajg.127.0027 Vorster, C. Jeffrey, L., Beukes, N.J. (2024) U-Pb detrital zircon age determination and provenance of the lower Karoo succession from the Karoo Research Initiative (KARIN) borehole KWV-1, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology 127 (2) 537 – 554. https://doi.org/10.25131/sajg.127.0030 Ngobeli, R., Wabo, H., Vorster, C. De Kock, M.O. (2024). Placing constraints on the age and origin of basaltic dykes on the Ghaap Plateau, Griqualand West, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology 127 (2) 493 - 520. https://doi.org/10.25131/sajg.127.0024 Rajesh H.M, Safonov, O.G., Belyanin, G.A., Letshele, K.P., Vorster, C. (2024) Metasomatism of mafic-intermediate rocks in the Motloutse Complex, Botswana: Effect on ore mineralization and implication for the Paleoproterozoic Large Alkali Metasomatic Province (LAMP) in southern Africa. Precambrian Research 406, 107402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107402 Rajesh, H.M., Keeditse, M., Mfa D.T, Vorster, C., Belyanin G.A. (2024) How not to use U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology to infer regional tectonics: Comment on Basupi et al. (2023), Journal of African Earth Sciences, 104942. Journal of African Earth Sciences 210 105153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2023.105153 Jeffrey, L.L., Beukes, N., Vorster, C., Mukhopadhyay, J. (2023). New insight into the tectonic setting of fault-bounded Indian Gondwana coal basins from U-Pb detrital zircon provenance ages of the Bokaro and Jharia basins, central east India. Geological Magazine , 160(2), 334-354. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756822000930 Agra, N.A., Elburg, M.A., Vorster, C. (2023). Constraints on Paleoproterozoic crustal growth from Birimian Supergroup lavas of the Bui belt (Ghana) in the West African Craton. Precambrian Research , 384,106926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106926 Rajesh, H.M., Mosokomani, V.S., Belyanin, G.A., Vorster, C., Selepeng, A.T. (2022). Defining the contact zone between Archean-Proterozoic terranes with distinct geologic histories: The scenario from eastern Botswana, Precambrian Research , 378, 106769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106769 Rajesh, H.M., Safonov, O.G., Belyanin, G.A., Vorster, C. (2022). Contrasting fertility of metapelite vs diorite gneiss to produce leucogranite melts: Example from the Mahalapye Complex, eastern Botswana. Journal of African Earth Science , 187, 104465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2022.104454 Vorster, C., Kramers, J.D., Beukes, N.J, Penn-Clarke, C.R. (2021) Long-lived stable shelf deposition along Gondwana’s southern margin during the Ordovician-Silurian: Inferences from U–Pb detrital zircon ages of the Table Mountain Group (South Africa) and correlatives in Argentina and the Falklands/Malvinas Islands. Chemical Geology , 576, 120274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120274 Rajesh, H.M., Safonov, O.G., Belyanin, G.A., Vorster, C. (2020) A ~2.051 Ga anatectic event and peraluminous leucogranite from the Mahalapye Complex, northern edge of the Kaapvaal Craton: Record of an effect of Bushveld mafic magmatism. Lithos , 378, 105805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2020.105805 Ossa Ossa, F., Hofmann, A., Ballouard, C., Vorster, C., Schoenberg, R., Fiedrich, A., Mayaga-Mikolo, F., Bekker, A., (2020). Constraining provenance for the uraniferous Paleoproterozoic Francevillian Group sediments (Gabon) with detrital zircon geochronology and geochemistry. Precambrian Research , 343, 105724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105724 Barbolini, N., Nxumalo, V., Wagner, N., Kramers, J., Vorster, C., Cairncross, B., Bamford, M.K., (2019) Palynostratigraphic correlation of the Springbok Flats coalfield to other coal-bearing successions in the Karoo basins of southern Africa. South African Journal of Geology . doi:10.25131/sajg.122.0001 Beukes, N.J., De Kock, M.O., Vorster, C., Ravhura, L.G., Frei, D., Gumsley, A.P., Harris, C. (2019) The age and country rock provenance of the Molopo Farms Complex: implications for Transvaal Supergroup correlation in southern Africa. South African Journal of Geology , doi:10.25131/sajg.122.0003 External links ORCID LinkedIn