Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½-led seismic research project advances scientific understanding of the Karoo Basin
- Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University
The project aims to provide unbiased, science-based information about the region’s subsurface geology, using novel and non-invasive methods.
A team of scientists from the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Seismic Research Centre within the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ School of Geosciences has completed the first phase of a national seismic research initiative designed to map, for the first time at this scale, what lies beneath one of South Africa’s most prominent landscapes, the Karoo Basin.
The Karoo Geophysical Research Project, led by Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and undertaken on behalf of the Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA), is a national research effort aimed at mapping the subsurface geology of the Karoo using non-invasive methods to study and improve the understanding of the regional subsurface geology of the south-central Karoo Basin.
Professor Musa Manzi, Director of the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Seismic Research Centre and project lead, said the project aims to provide unbiased, science-based information about the region’s subsurface geology. “While the surface geology of the Karoo is well-documented, the large-scale and deep subsurface geology remains relatively underexplored and unknown. We’re using novel, cost-effective and environmentally friendly airborne and ground-based geophysical methods to scan, at a provincial scale, the shallow and deep subsurface geology of the Karoo.”
“The data will also be used to identify geological features that may host and control groundwater, minerals, and energy resources. Additionally, we plan to develop a deeper knowledge of potential geohazards and environmental risks associated with the development of natural resources. The scarcity of groundwater in the Karoo is a well-documented issue. We plan to use geophysics to address groundwater resource knowledge gaps to support future opportunities for economic development and help inform decision-making about groundwater use to protect environmental and cultural assets.”
Manzi explained that this will be the first comprehensive data to provide stakeholders with credible and accurate information about what’s happening below the Karoo’s surface. This, he said, will allow for decisions to be informed by science rather than speculation.
Manzi was named a in the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award category at the 2025/2026 NSTF-South32 Awards, for his contribution to developing novel, cost-saving surface and in-mine seismic techniques to explore resources, mitigate geohazards, and improve infrastructure development.
The Karoo Basin has for years been at the centre of public debate, particularly in relation to shale gas. A moratorium on shale gas exploration remains in place. The Karoo Geophysical Research Project is a scientific study and doesn’t involve blasting, drilling, hydraulic fracturing or resource extraction. Instead, Manzi says, it seeks to generate high-resolution, regional geophysical data on the structure, composition and integrity of the Karoo Basin, information that has long been identified as a gap in South Africa’s geoscientific knowledge base.
The project utilises the seismic method as the primary tool for subsurface scanning, supported by airborne magnetic and magnetotelluric (MT) methods. In line with environmental legislation, the seismic surveys went through a Basic Assessment (BA) process. Specialist environmental studies were conducted alongside stakeholder engagements and public participation. Safety, social and environmental management plans were built into the field operations. To minimise environmental footprint, seismic surveys are conducted along the public road reserve.
Due to the size of the study area, the project is divided into Phases 1 and 2, with Phase 1 covering the Western Cape Province and Phase 2 covering the Eastern Cape and a small part of the Northern Cape. Phase 1 of the seismic surveys was launched in November 2025 in Beaufort West, and the data acquisition was completed in February 2026. In March 2026, the project team mobilised to the Eastern Cape, where seismic data are being acquired until August 2026.
The science behind the project
Conventional regional seismic surveys often provide low-resolution data, largely because they are constrained to a limited frequency band. This project uses state-of-the-art broadband seismic technology, designed by Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ researchers.
The project also uses nodal technology, where modern wireless sensors and recording units are deployed instead of standard cabled seismic systems. Small sensors are placed at regular intervals along predetermined survey lines along the public road reserves to record controlled vibrations generated by a specialised vibroseis truck.
The truck lowers a metal plate to the ground, sending broadband frequency seismic wave energy into the subsurface. The nodes capture how these waves travel through different rock layers and return to the surface. Variations in the returning signals allow scientists to determine the depth, structure, and physical properties of subsurface formations, including faults, intrusions, and natural resources.
In terms of geographic scale, the project is the largest land-based seismic research initiative of its kind undertaken in South Africa. It’s one of the most extensive academic-led seismic mapping efforts at this scale in the world.
Training, employment, and policy relevance
In addition to its scientific objectives, the project has also contributed to local employment and skills development. Community members were recruited and trained to support field operations, and postgraduate students, early-career researchers, and PASA geoscientists gained practical experience in large-scale seismic data acquisition and field management.
Marcus Mkhomazi, field operations manager on the project and a PhD candidate at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, said the scale of the work has been formative for him as a student. He joined the Seismic Research Centre in 2022 and has been involved in multiple projects prior to the Karoo Geophysical Research initiative. His doctoral research focuses on seismic data acquisition and processing, with the Karoo project providing an opportunity to apply advanced techniques at scale.
“Being part of this national project has given me a broader idea of what seismic is all about from a student perspective. Being a field operations manager has given me hands-on experience in managing a big seismic crew, which is going to be valuable when I go into the industry.”
According to Prof Manzi and Dr. Michael Westgate, the project’s co-technical lead and researcher at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, beyond its scientific objectives, the project has direct implications for public resource management. By mapping fault systems, rock intrusions and groundwater reservoirs, the data can help identify areas where freshwater aquifers may be vulnerable to contamination from deeper saline systems. It also enables policy-makers to assess geological risks before any potential development activity is contemplated.
From a governance perspective, the project is an important step in building a scientific foundation for future policy decisions related to land use, groundwater protection, energy planning, and mineral development.
Following the Phase 2 data acquisition in the Eastern Cape, the team will analyze and integrate the geophysical data for final interpretation and geological modeling. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2027.
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