January 18, 2013

Sunday, January 27: Geological field trip to Bengo province

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Outcrops along Barra da Dande.

Outcrops along Barra da Dande.

UPDATE: Please note this trip is now full. On Sunday, January 27, join the Angola Field Group for a geological field trip to Bengo province led by geologist Tako Koning, departing Luanda at 7:00 AM and returning around 5:00 PM. Scroll down for a map with locations.

We will drive north from Luanda to Barra do Dande  to see outcrops consisting of Cretaceous-age fossiliferous, marine sedimentary rocks. These strata are interesting from a paleo-environmental standpoint of view and they are also of economic significance since they are  the cap rocks to the  reservoirs which produce oil in the shallow water areas offshore Soyo and Cabinda.

We will continue for 10 km northeast on the road to the Lifune River where we will examine some historically well known naturally-occurring oil seeps in Libongos, today an asphalt quarry. Records indicate that as early as 1820, the Portuguese shipped out barrels of asphalt probably from the Libongos seeps to Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro to use as calking to prevent leakage of ships. If time allows, we will visit a second asphalt quarry as we loop south to Caxito. The entire area we will be traversing is known as the Kwanza Sedimentary Basin.

Close up photo taken at the Libongos oil seeps.

Close up photo taken at the Libongos oil seeps.


We will then travel south to Caxito to the nearby water falls at Sassa to view ancient (2 billion-year-old) Precambrian granite outcrops and where we will have a late lunch (you pack your own lunch). If time permits, we will visit the nearby Mabubas Hydroelectric Dam, recently rehabilitated.

Angola Field Group members walking along the Mabubas Dam in Caxito before it was rehabilitated. Angola Field Group members walking along the Mabubas Dam in Caxito before it was rehabilitated.

Angola Field Group members walking along the Mabubas Dam in Caxito before it was rehabilitated.

This field trip will also stop at Pangila Bridge to review some of the historical events which occurred here including the famous Quifangondo battle of November 10, 1975 which secured MPLA as the reigning party in Luanda, just prior to Angola achieving independence on November 11, 1975.

Our meeting point and further details will be provided once you have signed up and are confirmed for the trip. Sign up by emailing:angolafieldgroup@gmail.com and state: 1)your cell phone number  2)names of participants  3)do you require transport? or do you have room for passenger/s and if so how many?  4) are you travelling from Luanda Sul or downtown Luanda. Foreigners must have passport with valid visa.

All field trips with the Angola Field Group are at your own risk. Sign up as soon as possible since there is a limit to the number of participants we can take.

Click on map to enlarge.

Click on map to enlarge. Map by Tako Koning.

 

 

January 30, 2012

Saturday March 3 Field Trip: Catoca Diamond Mine

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The Angola Field Group has been invited to visit the Catoca diamond mine in the province of Lunda Sul, 30 kilometers from the capital city of Saurimo.  Catoca is considered the world’s 4th biggest diamond mine in terms of size. Diamonds are mined from a large kimberlite pipe, a vertical tube of igneous rock which may contain diamonds.

The Catoca kimberlite pipe in Lunda Sul is the fourth largest diamond-rich rock formation on Earth in terms of surface area. Click on photo for enlarged view.


This will be a one-day excursion, check-in at the airport at 6:00 AM on Saturday March 03 and be back in Luanda by approximately 5:00 PM. We will be flying on Catoca’s private plane, $350.00 usd per person return trip. (this price is based on the plane being full to capacity). Catoca will host us for lunch.

This giant 300 meter deep pit unearthed diamonds representing a profit of 116 million $US in 2011.

This field trip is a unique opportunity to see a big working diamond mine up close, beginning at the 300 meter deep pit where the rock is extracted through all the stages ending up at the high security room where the diamonds are displayed and sold. The trip is limited to 45, the maximum capacity of the plane. If you are interested and serious about going, please send an email to: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com with your name, your company’s name, your position in the company and your cell phone number. In approximately 2 week’s time we will send a confirmation email with exact details including what airport we will leave from, exact times and where and when to make final payment.

Please note that foreigners MUST have their passport and visa in order because of emigration controls both in Luanda and Saurimo. Receipts or letters are definitely not acceptable. You cannot go on this trip without proper passport and visa. All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk.

Angola Field Group members enroute to 'the pit'. First tourists to Catoca Mine, 2010.

Angola's diamonds are known as high quality stones.

Catoca hospitality rated as high quality by Field group members. Photos © Henriette Koning


 

January 30, 2012

Sunday February 5 Field Trip: Geological Field Trip

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Looking for fossils at Barra do Dande.

THIS TRIP IS NOW BOOKED FULL.The Angola Field Group will have a geological field trip north of Luanda on Sunday,February 05, led by Geologist Tako Koning. We will leave Luanda at 7:00 AM (sharp) and return back at approximately 5:00 PM.

Oil seeps at Libongos.


We will go to Barra do Dande and visit outcrops consisting of Cretaceous-age fossiliferous, marine sedimentary rocks. These strata are interesting from a paleo-environmental standpoint of view and they are also of economic significance since they are  the cap rocks to the Pinda reservoirs which produce oil in the shallow water areas offshore Soyo and Cabinda.  From there we will travel northeastwards to the Lifune River to see the  Libongos oil seeps and asphalt quarry.  We will then travel southwards to Caxito to the water falls at Sassa to view ancient (2 billion-years-old) Precambrian granite outcrops and where we will have a late lunch (you pack your own).  The field trip will conclude with a visit to the hydroelectric dam on the Dande River at Mabubas.

Fossil from the Cretaceous age discovered at Barra do Dande.

This field trip will also stop at Pangila Bridge to review some of the historical events which occurred in this area including the famous Quifangondo battle of November 10, 1975 between FNLA and MPLA just prior to Angola achieving independence on November 11, 1975.

There is a provincial border crossing on this trip so you must bring your original documents and proof of a valid visa.  All field trips with the Angola Field Group are at your own risk. Sign up as soon as possible since we need to limit the number of cars.

Records indicate that as early as 1820, the Portuguese shipped out barrels of asphalt probably from the Libongos seeps. This and above photo courtesy John Helm.

Our meeting point and further details will be provided once you have signed up and are confirmed for the trip. Sign up by emailing: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com and state: 1)your cell phone number   2)names of participants  3)whether you have room for passenger/s and if so how many  4)whether you are travelling from Luanda Sul or downtown Luanda.

Quifangondo battle, a turning point for the MPLA. Photo © Henriette Koning.



 

November 28, 2011

Saturday, December 3 Field Trip: Guided tour of the University of Agostinho Neto’s Geology Museum

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The Geology Museum now houses this life-size model of the Angolatitan adamastor.

Due to popular demand, this trip is being repeated again on Saturday, December 10th. Sign up before December 6th by emailing: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com
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The Angola Field Group invites you to a guided tour of the University of Agostinho Neto’s Geology Museum, Saturday December 3rd at 10:00 AM, with Geologist Tako Koning.  Come and take a firsthand look at the varied collection of mineral specimens and fossils  including parts of the Angolatitan adamastor, which is Angola’s first dinosaur discovered in 2005 about 70 km north of Luanda.  Today, the Geology Museum houses a life-size model of the Angolatitan based on bones excavated by a team of paleontologists from Southern Methodist University (USA), University of Maastricht (Netherlands), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal) and Agostinho Neto University. Other fossils in the museum include Cretaceous-age petrified tree trunks and 1.1 billion year old fossilized algae.

The Department of Geology of Agostinho Neto University has kindly agreed to open the museum for the Field Group’s first ever visit. The museum is at street level, on the Marginal, between the TAP office and the small old Catholic Church, Igreja Nazare. We will meet on the sidewalk in front at 10:00 AM sharp. We will spend about an hour and a half and for those interested, we will then visit the National Museum of Natural History in Kinaxixi, home to the only fully mounted Palanca Negra in Angola.

Children are welcome. No charge for the Geology Museum. We are keeping the group down to 30 attendees so sign up as soon as possible by emailing Henriette: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com

This 13 meter long herbivore lived about 90 million years ago.

 

September 24, 2011

Photos from the Angola Field Group’s July 1st trip to the Angola Polishing Diamonds Factory

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For more photos of this field trip to the Angola Polishing Diamonds Factory in Telatona, Luanda Sul, check out our Geology page.

High quality Angolan gem.
Master diamond cutter.
Observing the polishing procedure.
Hands-on experience.
Employee inspecting stone.
A handful of diamonds!
 

June 23, 2011

Thursday, June 30 Presentation : The Ancient Life of Angola, a Closer Look

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The Dinosaur Hunters are back.  Thursday, June 30th  you are invited to a presentation at 8:00 PM at the Viking Club, “The Ancient Life of Angola, a Closer Look”. Dr. Louis Jacobs, internationally recognized dinosaur expert who presented to the field group in 2009, will update us on the ‘extraordinarily spectacular’ results uncovered during the team’s last years of fieldwork in Angola. Also, Dr. Michael Polcyn, expert on the giant sea lizards, Mosasaurs, will discuss Angola’s marine reptiles. Both paleontologists teach at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, USA. Click here to download a Word document with more project details including plus presenter bios.

The presentation will kick off with a preview of footage of an upcoming film documenting the paleontological expedition which is known as Projecto PaleoAngola. Projecto PaleoAngola is a collaborative international scientific research program focused on exploring the ancient life of Angola but which also aims to work with Angola’s educational system at all levels to train students and create an interest in science. The rich paleontological finds and the tenacious scientists who uncovered them will be featured in an upcoming documentary  written, directed, and produced by Kalunga Lima of LS films, based in Luanda Angola. Click here to download a PDF project presentation of PaleoAngola or visit www.paleolabs.org/paleoangola for more details.

Everybody is welcome to attend our presentations which are offered in close cooperation with the Viking Club. There is no charge. The talk will be in English. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are sold at the bar. The Viking Bar now opens at 7:30 PM!  (For sale, books by NGOs, in English.)

If you would like to have a map showing the location of the Viking Club, please visit our Join Us page.  The Viking Club is on the main floor of the former Swedish Building at Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 in Maianga, across the street from the new Panela de Barra restaurant.

 

May 1, 2011

Thursday, May 8 Presentation: Everyman’s Guide to Angola’s Petroleum Geology and Oil Industry

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Geologist Tako Koning promises to teach us all about Angola's oil.

Few places in the world measure up to the recent oil exploration significance of Angola, according to oil experts. This country is the second biggest oil producer in Africa after Nigeria.  What is it about Angola’s geology that favors so much oil production and what is the long term future of the oil industry here? The Angola Field Group invites you to a presentation: Everyman’s Guide to Angola’s Petroleum Geology and Oil Industry  at the Viking Club, Thursday May 05, at 8:00 PM with Geologist Tako Koning who will explain in layperson’s terms the subsurface geology that has led to the success of the country’s oil industry and what it means for the future. Tako, a Holland-born and Canada-raised geologist has 40 years experience in the oil industry, including 15 years in Angola. He worked with Texaco for 30 years in Canada, Indonesia, Nigeria and Angola; he retired in 2002 and continues to work in Angola as an oil consultant.

Everybody is welcome to attend the presentation which will be in English. In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are sold at the bar, coupons must be purchased. The Viking Bar opens at 7:30 PM. If you would like to have a map showing the location of the Club, click here http://angolafieldgroup.com/find-us. The Viking Club is on the main floor of the former Swedish Building at Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 in Maianga, across the street from the new Panela de Barra restaurant.

NOW SELLING at the Viking Club: Tickets to Angola’s Contemporary Dance Company’s new production, ‘The Man Who Cried Tomato Juice Tears‘, choreographed and directed by Ana Clara Guerra Marques, performances at Cha da Caxinda, May 6 to May 22nd, weekends, 2000kwz. More details on our website: http://angolafieldgroup.com.  Also, copies of the book and CD ‘Intonations’ by Dr. Marissa Moorman.

Check out the trip opportunities on our website.



 

December 29, 2010

Tuesday, January 4 – Geological Field Trip

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The Angola Field Group will have a geological field trip north of Luanda on Tuesday, January 4, led by Geologist Tako Koning. This is a national holiday, so the road north which is usually extremely congested due to roadworks, will not have the usual ‘confusao’. We will leave Luanda at 7:00 am (sharp) and return back at approximately 5:00 PM.

We will go to Barra do Dande and visit outcrops consisting of Cretaceous-age fossiliferous, marine sedimentary rocks. These strata are interesting from a paleo-environmental standpoint of view and they are also of economic significance since they are  the cap rocks to the Pinda reservoirs which produce oil in the shallow water areas offshore Soyo and Cabinda. From there we will travel northeastwards to the Lifune River to the  Libongos oil seeps and asphalt quarry.  We will then travel southwards to Caxito to the water falls at Sassa to view ancient (2 billion-years-old) Precambrian granite outcrops and where we will have a late lunch.

The field trip will conclude with a visit to the hydroelectric dam on the Dande River at Mabubas. This field trip will also stop at Pangila Bridge to review some of the historical events which occurred in this area including the famous Quifangondo battle of November 10, 1975 between FNLA and MPLA just prior to Angola achieving independence on November 11, 1975.

There is a provincial border crossing on this trip so you must bring your original documents and proof of a valid visa.  All field trips with the Angola Field Group are at your own risk.

Our meeting point and further details will be provided once you sign up for the trip. To sign up email: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com and include your cell phone number, number of passengers in your vehicle, and also please indicate if you have room in your vehicle for passenger/s. There are many vehicle-less people who would appreciate the opportunity to explore some of the countryside.

 

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