Angola Field Group

The Angola Field Group makes an annual Geology Field Trip with geologist Tako Koning to the Libongos Oil Seeps two hours from Luanda. Tako Koning writes about his experience ‘Solving the Mystery of Angolan Oil’ which features the Libongos Oil Seeps, in the April 2013 issue of the APPG Explorer here. 

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July 1, 2011 Field Trip: Angola Polishing Diamonds Factory in Telatona, Luanda Sul. (All photos Henriette Koning.)

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend…

The Angola Polishing Diamond SA Factory is a joint venture between the state diamond company and Leviev’s plus a local consortium.

Inexperienced Angolans are hired who then receive on-the-job training.

Field Group participants watch master diamond cutter demonstrate how to find the optimal way to cut a diamond.

The computer screen in the upper right hand of the photo shows a 3-dimensional scan of the uncut stone, verifying what the master’s experienced eye already decided.

Getting a close-up look at the polishing process.

Checking the bruting process whereby two diamonds are set to grind against each other to shape into a round shape.

Diamond polishing is highly mechanized and computerized.

Field group participants enjoy a hands-on experience.

There are various cuts of diamonds but the round shape is the most common.

Angola is known for its high quality diamonds.

A sneak preview of the diamond rings soon to be for sale at APDF retail outlet.

How many people have a chance to hold a handful of diamonds?! Thanks APDF for a great visit.

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July 9, 2009 Presentation: Uncovering the Hidden Remains of Angola’s Ancient Giants. (The next four photos are courtesy of PaleoAngola.)

More than 175 people attended the Angola Field Group presentation on July 9, 2009, to hear Dr.Louis Jacobs, who teaches geology and paleontology at Southern Methodist University, describe the rich treasure of fossils that are being unearthed along the coast of Angola. In 2005 he and his team of paleontologists went to Angola because fossils of giant marine lizards (mosasaurs) had been reported in the 1960s and this is what they found:

The first dinosaur, a sauropod, found in Angola by  Portuguese paleontologist Octavio Mateus.

Professor Jacobs excavating arm of Angolan dinosaur      found at Iembe, north of Luanda.

The rocks of Angola record events of worldwide interest, such as the extinction of dinosaurs and mosasaurs, and the precise position of ancient shores. Click here to download Dr. Jacob’s PowerPoint presentation and view more discoveries made by his PaleoAngola project.

We asked Dr. Jacobs to tell us a bit about his professional background:
” I did my doctoral field work in Pakistan in the 70´s, in the days when you could take a bus from Peshawar to Kabul through the Khyber Pass.  After graduate school I worked as Head of the Department of Paleontology at the National Museums of Kenya, working for Richard Leakey.  I left there in 1983 and have been at SMU ever since.  After Kenya I did field work in Malawi, then Cameroon, now Angola.  I had short field excursions to Ethiopia (with my wife who studies fossil plants there) and to Mozambique.  I have also worked in Yemen.  I migrated to the Poles, working on the North Slope of Alaska, in the Aleutians, and on Hound Island in Southeast Alaska, and that was followed by two trips to Antarctica.  Besides Angola, my interests now are in Mongolia (year 4 of 5) and Antarctic elephant seals.  This all sounds random, but there is a real research evolution guiding it, now centered on the acquisition of the marine realm by mammals and reptiles of terrestrial origin; that is one reason why Angola is interesting —  it has an excellent record of fossil marine reptiles and it should have a better record of fossil whales.”

Dr. Jacobs on site.

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Photos from 2008 Field Trips and earlier:

Traversing the Dande River in a dugout canoe, looking for evidence of first oil well.

First oil well: still some oil left in the pipes.

O Miradouro da Lua (lunar landscape), 60 kilometers outside of Luanda.

Trip to the oil seeps at at the north side of Caxito.

Field trip to the Libongas oil seeps.

Geologist Tako Koning leading the Libongas field trip;oil seeps from the rock face behind him. Photo courtesy Gareth Chetwynd.