Dr Clarisa Vorster

EDUCATION

2013                              PhD, Geology, University of Johannesburg

Thesis:          Laser Ablation ICP-MS age determination of detrital zircon populations in the Phanerozoic Cape and lower Karoo Supergroups (South Africa) and correlatives in Argentina.

2008                              Masters of Science, Chemistry, University of Johannesburg.

Thesis:          Precise ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratio measurement by quadrupole-based ICP-MS after ion exchange separation of Rb for provenance determination of agricultural products.

2006                              Bachelor of Science Honours, Chemistry,

                                      University of Johannesburg.

2003-2005                     Bachelor of Science, Natural and Environmental Sciences

                                      (Chemistry and Biochemistry).

                                       University of Johannesburg.

REASEARCH INTERESTS

• Geochronology
• Geochemistry
• Applied and Environmental Geology
  • Development of a method for U-Pb age determination of detrital zircons by means of LA-ICP-MS.
  • U-Pb age determination of detrital zircons grains of the Cape and Lower Karoo Supergroup as well as Phanerozoic sequences in Argentina and the Falkland Islands.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

2009-present.              Doctoral Candidate, University of Johannesburg.

2007-2008                   Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry, University of Johannesburg.

• Master’s project focussed on the development of a method to efficiently separate strontium from rubidium using ion exchange chromatography prior to analysis of strontium isotope ratios by quadrupole-based ICP-MS.
• Investigated the use of strontium and boron isotope ratios as a means of determining provenance of South African wines.

PUBLICATIONS, PEER REVIEWED

Vorster, C., Greeff, L., Coetzee, P.P., (2010): The determination of ¹¹B/¹⁰B and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios by Quadrupole-Based ICP-MS for the Fingerprinting of South African wines.South African Journal of Chemistry, 63, 207-214.

Vorster, C., Van der Walt, T.N., Coetzee, P.P., (2008) Ion exchange separation of strontium and rubidium on Dowex 50W-X8, using the complexation properties of EDTA and DCTA.Analytica and Bioanalytica Chemistry ,392, 287-296.

PUBLICATIONS, NON-PEER REVIEWED

Vorster, C., Kramers, J., Beukes, N., Van Niekerk, H., (2012) Detrital zircon age populations and provenance of the Cape-Karoo succession in South Africa and correlatives in Argentina. Goldschmidt 2012 Conference Abstracts, Mineralogical Magazine, 2501

PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS

Beukes, N., Vorster, C., Frei, D. (Oct 2013) Detrital zircon age constraint of the makganyene snowball earth event (South Africa) at 2.25-2.22 Ga: the youngest of four Huronian glaciations? Poster presented at GSA Annual Meeting 2013, Denver, USA

Beukes, N., Da Silva, R., Dreyer, D., Vorster, C., Van Niekerk, H. (Oct 2013) New detrital zircon age constraints on the Paleoproterozoic Wolhaarkop-Drakenstein lateritic paleosol, Gamagara karst laterites and the Lucknow heavy carbonate carbon isotope excursion, Griqualand West, South Africa. Oral presentation presented at GSA Annual Meeting 2013, Denver, USA.

Vorster, C., Kramers, J., Beukes, N., Van Niekerk, H., (June 2012) Detrital zircon age populations and provenance of the Cape-Karoo succession in South Africa and correlatives in Argentina. Oral presentation at Goldschmidt 2012, Montreal, Canada.

Vorster, C., Greeff, L., Coetzee, P.P. (Dec 2010). The determination of ¹¹B/¹⁰B and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios by quadrupole-based ICP-MS for the fingerprinting of South African wines. Poster presentation at the Analytica 2010 Conference, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Vorster, C., Van der Walt, T.N., Coetzee, P.P., (Oct 2008) Ionexchange separation of strontium and rubidium on Dowex 50W-X8 for ICP-MS analysis, using the complexation properties of EDTA and DCTA. Chromsaams 2008, Bela Bela (Warmbad), South Africa.

MEMBERSHIPS

June 2012-present       Member, Geochemical Society.