Associate Professor Bertus Smith

Bertus Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Johannesburg, where he has been working since 2008. He holds a PhD from the University of Johannesburg. His current main research interests include iron- and manganese-rich chemical sedimentary rocks and their paleoenvironmental and economic significance as well as applied mineralogy with a focus on process mineralogy and geometallurgy.
He has authored and co-authored 35 Scopus-listed publications, four of them in Nature portfolio journals, and has presented his data at numerous international and national conferences, meetings and workshops. He has also authored two invited book chapters on banded iron formations. Active international research collaborations include researchers from Austria, Canada, China, Germany, the United States of America, and Wales. He has supervised and co-supervised  13 MSc and 4 PhD projects on his research interests to completion. He is an NRF-rated research, a fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa, where he serves as the Vice-President for Academic Affairs on the Management Committee, and a member of the Society for Economic Geologists.


Recent publications:

  1. Smith, A.J.B., Fitton, D., Vorster, C. and Schoenberg, R. (2026). The iron and manganese formations of the Paleoproterozoic Hotazel Formation in the southern Kalahari Manganese Field of South Africa: Paleoenvironmental and depositional implications at the onset of the Great Oxidation Event. Ore Geology Reviews, 188, 107060.
  2. Smith, A.J.B. and Viehmann, S. (2026). Iron formations: Unique archives to reconstruct the Precambrian Earth. In: Homann, M., Lyons, T.W., Ernst, R.E., Heubeck, C., Stueeken, E., Webb, A., Papineau, D., Mazumder, R., Mason, P.D.R. and Altermann, W. (eds.), The Archean Earth, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 345-375.
  3. Baidya, A.S., Boden, J.S., Li, Y., Smith, A.J.B., Konhauser, K.O. and Stüeken, E.E. (2025). Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event. Nature Communications, 16, 4825.
  4. Hayes, B., Maghdour-Mashhour, R., Ashwal, L.D., Smith, A.J.B., Ueckermann, H. and Vermeulen, J. (2025). Melt infiltration in a crystal mush and pegmatoid formation in the platiniferous Merensky Reef, Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Mineralium Deposita, 60, 237-259.
  5. Pienaar, D., Smith, A.J.B., Blignaut, L.C. and Viljoen, K.S. (2025). Lithostratigraphic correlation and mineralogical facies characterisation of the banded iron and manganese formations of the Palaeoproterozoic Hotazel Formation of the Voëlwater Subgroup Transvaal Supergroup, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 128, 13-52.
  6. Jogee, B.A., Manzi, M.S.D., Maduna, N.G., Rapetsoa, M.K., Sihoyiya, M. and Smith, A.J.B. (2025). Characterisation of manganese occurrences in the Kalahari Manganese Field: Constraints from high-resolution 2D seismic surveys. South African Journal of Geology, 128, 53-72.
  7. Von der Heyden, B.P., Smith, A.J.B., Tsikos, H., Djeutchou, C., Van Eeden, L., Backeberg, N., Mhlanga, X. and Tadie, M. (2024). Manganese in South Africa: its mineral economics, geology and geometallurgy. South African Journal of Geology, 127, 765-796.
  8. Smith, A.J.B., De Kock, M.O., Gutzmer, J. and Vorster, C. (2024). Dedicated to the late Professor Nic Beukes (1945-2023): Geologist, teacher, mentor, and friend. South African Journal of Geology, 127, 137-140.
  9. Motloba, G.B., Viljoen, K.S., Rose, D.H. and Smith, A.J.B. (2024). The processing behaviour of the sphalerites from the Big Syncline deposit, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 127, 71-94.
  10. Coetzee, L.L., Gutzmer, J., Smith, A.J.B. and Beukes, N.J. (2024). Mineralogy and mineral paragenesis of the Paleoproterozoic manganese ores of the Avontuur Deposit of the Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 127, 31-54.
  11. Li, Y., Sutherland, B.R., Ilin, A.M., Schad, M., Robbins, L.J., Kappler, A., Yusta, I., Sánchez-España, J., Owttrim, G.W., Dreher, C.L., Smith, A.J.B., Alessi, D.S., Gingras, M.K. and Konhauser, K.O. (2024). Cyanobacteria-ferrihydrite aggregates, BIF sedimentation and implications for Archaean-Palaeoproterozoic seawater geochemistry. South African Journal of Geology, 127, 359-378.
  12. Halla, J., Noffke, N., Reis, H., Awramik, S., Bekker, A., Brasier, A., Callefo, F., Choudhury, A., Duda, J.-P., Fedo, C., Galante, D., Haddock, J., Haines, P., Hinnov, L., Hofmann, A., Homann, M., Huston, D., Johnson, S., Kah, L., Kaufman, A., Kovalick, A., Kuchenbecker, M., Koykka, J., Lowe, D., Nhleko, N., Reno, B., Sanchez, E., Shukla, Y., Smith, A., Van Zuilen, M., Westall, F. and Whitehouse, M. (2024). Ratification of the base of the ICS Geological Time Scale: the Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA) for the Hadean lower boundary. Episodes, 47, 381-389.
  13. Robbins, L.J., Fakhraee, M., Smith, A.J.B., Bishop, B.A., Swanner, E.D., Peacock, C.L., Wang, C.-L., Planavsky, N.J., Reinhard, C.T., Crowe, S.A. and Lyons, T.W. (2023). Manganese oxides, Earth surface oxygenation, and the rise of oxygenic photosynthesis. Earth-Science Reviews, 239, 104368.
  14. Smith, A.J.B. and Beukes, N.J. (2023). The paleoenvironmental implications of pre-Great Oxidation Event manganese deposition in the Mesoarchean Ijzermijn Iron Formation Bed, Mozaan Group, Pongola Supergroup, South Africa. Precambrian Research, 384, 106922.
  15. Smith, A.J.B., Beukes, N.J., Cochrane, J.M. and Gutzmer, J. (2023). Manganese carbonate-bearing mudstone of the Witwatersrand-Mozaan succession in southern Africa as evidence for bacterial manganese respiration and availability of free molecular oxygen in Mesoarchaean oceans. South African Journal of Geology, 126, 29-48.
  16. Le Heron, D.P., Busfield, M.E., Smith, A.J.B. and Wimmer, S. (2022). A grounding zone wedge origin for the Palaeoproterozoic Makganyene Formation of South Africa. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10, 905602.
  17. Humbert, F., Elburg, M.A., Agangi, A., Belyanin, G., Akoh, J., Smith, A.J.B., Chou, Y-M. and Beukes, N.J. (2020). A ~1.4 Ga alkaline mafic sill from the Carletonville area: connection to the Pilanesberg Alkaline Province? South African Journal of Geology, 123, 597-614.
  18. Mkhatshwa, S.F., Guy, B.M., Smith, A.J.B. and Viljoen, K.S. (2020). A mineralogical perspective on the recovery of uranium from brannerite-rich ore at Cooke Section, West Rand Goldfield, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 123, 615-632.
  19. Schier, K., Bau, M., Smith, A.J.B., Beukes, N.J., Coetzee, L.L. and Viehmann, S. (2020). Chemical evolution of seawater in the Transvaal Ocean between 2426Ma (Ongeluk Large Igneous Province) and 2413 Ma ago (Kalahari Manganese Field). Gondwana Research, 88, 373-388.
  20. Smith, A.J.B., Beukes, N.J., Gutzmer, J., Johnson, C.M., Czaja, A.D., Nhleko, N., De Beer, F., Hoffman, J.W. and Awramik, S.M. (2020). Life on a Mesoarchean marine shelf – insights from the world’s oldest known granular iron formation. Scientific Reports, 10, 10519.
  21. Humbert, F., Agangi, A., Massuyeau, M., Elburg, M.A., Belyanin, G., Smith, A.J.B., Iaccheri, L., Coetzee, L.L. and Wabo, H. (2020). Rifting of the Kaapvaal Craton during the early Paleoproterozoic: evidence from magmatism in the western Transvaal subbasin (South Africa). Precambrian Research, 342, 105687.
  22. De Kock, M.O., Monareng, B.F., Blignaut, L., Smith, A.J.B. and Beukes, N.J. (2020). Geochemistry of Paleoproterozoic saprolite developed in diabase intruding the Hotazel Formation in the Avontuur deposit of the Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa. South
    African Journal of Geology    , 123, 1-18.
  23. Albut, G., Kamber, B.S., Brüske, A., Beukes, N.J., Smith, A.J.B. and Schoenberg, R. (2019). Modern weathering weathering versus ancient paleoredox proxies from a Mesoarchaean marine oxygen oasis in the Pongola Supergroup, South Africa. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 265, 330-353.
  24. Robbins, L.J., Funk, S.P., Flynn, S.L., Wachola, T.J., Li, Z., Lalonde, S.V., Rostron, B.J., Smith, A.J.B., Beukes, N.J., De Kock, M.O., Heaman, L.M., Alessi, D.S. and Konhauser, K.O. (2019). Hydrogeological constraints on the formation of Palaeoproterozoic banded iron formations. Nature Geoscience, 12, 558-563.
  25. Smith, A.J.B. (2018). The iron formations of southern Africa. In: Siegesmund, S., Basei, M.A.S., Oyhantçabal, P. and Oriolo, S. (eds.), Geology of Southwest Gondwana, Springer, Cham, 469-491.
  26. Humbert, F., De Kock, M.O., Altermann, W., Elburg, M.A., Lenhardt, N., Smith, A.J.B. and Msango, S. (2018). Petrology, physical volcanology and geochemistry of a Paleoproterozoic large igneous province: The Hekpoort Formation in the southern Transvaal sub-basin (Kaapvaal craton). Precambrian Research, 315, 232-256.
  27. Albut, G., Babechuk, M.G., Kleinhanns, I.C., Benger, M., Beukes, N.J., Steinhilber, B., Smith, A.J.B., Kruger, S.J. and Schoenberg, R. (2018). Modern rather than Mesoarchaean oxidative weathering responsible for the heavy stable Cr isotopic signatures of the 2.95 Ga old Ijzermijn iron formation (South Africa). Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 228, 157-189.