Dr Bjorn von der Heyden
Senior Lecturer, Department of Earth Sciences, Stellenbosch University

contact details: (e) bvon@sun.ac.za; (c) 084 685 2642; (t) 021 808 3122

 

research keywords: hydrothermal ore deposits, gold, geometallurgy, spectroscopy

 

ORCID:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4006-9278

 

Dr Bjorn von der Heyden obtained his Ph.D. from Stellenbosch University in 2013 for his research focussed on characterising iron nanoparticles and sub-micron particles using synchrotron X-rays. He subsequently spent two years working as a geologist in the South African minerals industry for Exxaro Resources Ltd. where he gained excellent exposures and experiences at Arnot underground coal mine, Grootegeluk open cast coal mine, and the Mayoko iron ore exploration project in the Republic of Congo.

 

In 2015, he returned to academia appointed as a lecturer in Economic Geology at Stellenbosch University (SU). In this role, he places equal emphasis on generating and publishing exciting new science, and on providing high-quality education to the next generation of African earth scientists. His current research interests include better understanding the controls on hydrothermal classes of ore mineralisation (notably gold mineralisation), the applicability of synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy to ore geology research questions, and the across-disciplinary field of applied geometallurgy. His current research field sites include the Kirk Range in southern Malawi and the Barberton greenstone belt, and he is proud to have recently developed fluid-inclusion microthermometry capabilities, currently housed at the Department of Earth Sciences at Stellenbosch University. He was elected as a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists in 2021.

 

Pertinent publications:

  1. Fourie, H., von der Heyden, B.P., Strydom, K., 2021. Shelf architecture and recent sediment stratigraphy of the Chameis Bay area, southern Namibia. Geo-marine Letters. doi.org/10.1007/s00367-021-00700-z
  2. Dunn, S.C., von der Heyden, B.P., 2021. Gold remobilization in gossans of the Amani area, southwestern Tanzania. Ore Geology Reviews 131, 104033.
  3. Dunn, S.C., von der Heyden, B.P., Steele-MacInnis, M., Kramers, J.D., St. Pierre, B., Erasmus, R., Harris, C., 2021. Neoproterozoic copper-gold mineralization in the Amani area, southwestern Tanzania. Ore Geology Reviews132, 104070.
  4. Babedi, L., Tadie, M., Neethling, P., von der Heyden, B.P., 2021. A fundamental assessment on the impacts of cation (Cd, Co, Fe) substitution on the molecular chemistry and surface reactivity of sphalerite. Minerals Engineering 160, 106695.
  5. Leach, P., von der Heyden, B.P., Ravenscroft, P., 2020. A novel economic-filter for evaluating sub-Saharan diamondiferous kimberlites. South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Journal 120 (9), 541 – 545.
  6. von der Heyden, B.P., Benoit, J., Fernandez, V., Roychoudhury, A.N., 2020. Synchrotron X-ray radiation and the African earth sciences: a critical review. Journal of African Earth Sciences 172, 104012.
  7. von der Heyden, B.P., 2020. Shedding light on ore deposits: a review of synchrotron X-ray radiation use in ore geology research, Ore Geology Reviews 117, 103729.
  8. Dunn, S.C., von der Heyden, B.P., Bracciali, L., St.Pierre, B., 2020. Geology and U-Pb geochronology of the Greater Amani Region, southwestern Tanzania. Journal of African Earth Sciences 162, 103729.
  9. Chisambi, J.J., von der Heyden, B.P., Tshibalanganda, M., Le Roux, S. 2020. Gold exploration in two and three dimensions: improved and correlative insights from microscopy and X-Ray computed tomography. Minerals 10, 476.
  10. Chisambi, J.J., von der Heyden, B.P., 2019. Primary gold mineralisation in the Lisungwe Valley area, Kirk Range, southern Malawi. South African Journal of Geology 122, 505-518.
  11. Babedi, L., von der Heyden, B.P., Neethling, P.H., Tadie, M., 2019. The effect of Cd-substitution on the Raman vibrational characteristics of sphalerite. Vibrational Spectroscopy 105, 102968.
  12. Dunn, S.C., von der Heyden, B.P., Rozendaal, A., Taljaard, R., 2019. Secondary gold mineralization in the Amani Placer Gold Deposit, Tanzania. Ore Geology Reviews 107, 87 – 107.
  13. von der Heyden, B.P., 2019. Telephonic interviews with professional geologists enable affective learning about the applied aspects of Economic Geology for final year University students, Journal of Geoscience Education67(1), 20 – 33.
  14. von der Heyden, B.P., Roychoudhury, A.N., Tyliszczak, T., Myneni, S.C.B., 2017. Investigating nanoscale mineral compositions: Iron L3-edge spectroscopic evaluation of iron oxide and oxy-hydroxide coordination, American Mineralogist 102 (3), 674-685.