Professor Bruce Cairncross
Bruce Cairncross is Professor of Geology at the University of Johannesburg. He obtained his MSc from the University of Natal and PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand. He then joined Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) geology department where he served as Head of Department for 14 years, from 2003 to 2016, during which time RAU merged with the Witwatersrand Technikon to form the University of Johannesburg (UJ). He has published extensively on the sedimentology, stratigraphy and associated coal of the Karoo-type (Permo-Carboniferous) successions, primarily in the main Karoo Basin and has supervised several Masters and Doctoral students working on coal-related topics. Professor Cairncross has written 11 books on southern African minerals and gemstones, and published over 150 articles on the same topics. He is an accomplished photographer and has won local and international awards for his photos.
Recent Publications
BOOKS:
Cairncross, B. (2013). Guide to borehole core in the Karoo Basin Coalfields. Random House Struik Publishers, Cape Town, COALTECH Publishers, 76 pages.
Cairncross, B. and McCarthy, T.S. (2015). Understanding Minerals & crystals. Struik Nature Random House Struik Natural History Publishing, Cape Town, 312 pages.
Atanasova, M. T., Cairncross, B. and Windisch, W. (2016). Microminerals of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Council for Geoscience Popular Series No. 6, 441 pages.
Cairncross, B. (2016). African Treasures – Gemstones and Minerals of Africa. In: Viljoen, R., Viljoen, M. and Anhaeusser, C. Africa’s Top Geological Sites. Special Publication, 35th International Geological Congress, Cape Town. Struik Nature, Random House Struik, Cape Town, 281-290. INVITED CHAPTER.
Cairncross, B. (2019). Minerals and Gemstones of East Africa. Struik Nature, Random House Struik, Cape Town, 141 pages.
Cairncross, B. (submitted). Minerals and Gemstones of southern Africa. Struik Nature, Random House Struik, Cape Town, South Africa.
JOURNALS
2019
Barbolini, N., V. Nxumalo, N. Wagner, V., Kramers, J., Vorster, C., Cairncross, B. and Bamford. M.K. (2019). Palynostratigraphic correlation of the Springbok Flats coalfield to other coal-bearing successions in the Karoo basins of southern Africa. South African journal of Geology, vol. 122(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.25131/sajg.122.0001
Cairncross, B. (2019). Connoisseur’s Choice: duftite after wulfenite. Rocks & Minerals, 94(1), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1519674
Cairncross, B. (2019). The where of mineral names: Mammothite, Mammoth-St. Anthony mine, Arizona, USA. Rocks & Minerals, 94(1), 92-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1519680
Cairncross, B. (2019). Tarbuttite: Connoisseur’s Choice, Rocks & Minerals. 94(2), 150-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1530039
Southwood, M., Cairncross, B. and Rumsey, M. (2019). The minerals of Kabwe mine, Zambia. Rocks & Minerals. 94(2), 114-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1530038
Cairncross, B. (2019). Nimite: The where of minerals names. Rocks & Minerals. 94(2), 191-193. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1530044
Cairncross, B. (2019). Connoisseur’s Choice. Vonbezingite. Rocks & Minerals. 94(3), 250-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1567231
Cairncross, B. (2019). Gamagarite: the where of mineral names. Rocks & Minerals. 94(3), 280-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1567231
Cairncross, B. (2019). Senegalite: the where of mineral names. Rocks & Minerals. 94(5), 460-462. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1619141
Gliozzo, E., Cairncross, B. and Venneman, T. (2019). A geochemical and micro-textural comparison of basalt-hosted chalcedony from the Jurassic Drakensberg and Neoarchaean Ventersdorp Supergroup (Vaal River Alluvial Gravels), South Africa. International Journal of Earth Sciences, 108, 1857-1877. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-019-01737-3
Cairncross, B. (2019). Roymillerite: Who’s who in mineral names, Rocks & Minerals. 94(5), 475-476. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1624941
Cairncross, B. (2019). Connoisseur’s Choice: Tanzanite gem variety of zoisite: Merelani Hills, Simanjiro District Manyara Region, Tanzania, Rocks & Minerals. 94(6), 530-537. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1641023
Cairncross, B. (2019). Rhodochrosit Südafrika. ExtraLapis 56. Christian Weise Verlag, München, 12-33.
Cairncross, B. and James-Kleynhans, K. (2019). The mineral collection of the Johannesburg Geological Museum. The Mineralogical Record 50(4), 475-490.
2020
Cairncross, B. (2020). Wesselsite: the where of mineral names. Rocks & Minerals. 95(3):282-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.1716177
Cairncross, B. (2020). Karibibite: the where of mineral names. Rocks & Minerals. 95(2), 174-179. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2019.1641030
Cairncross, B. (2020). Taniajacoite: Who’s who in mineral names, Rocks & Minerals. 95(2), 180-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.1689339
Cairncross, B. (2020). Connoisseur’s Choice: Kermesite, Globe and Phoenix mine, Kwekwe District, Zimbabwe. Rocks & Minerals, 95(5)440-446. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.1771152
Cairncross, B. (2020). Connoisseur’s Choice: Grossular variety tsavorite, Merelani Hills, Tanzania.
Rocks & Minerals, 95(3)252-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.1716171
Cairncross, B. (2020). Nigerite: the where of mineral names. Rocks & Minerals. 95(4), 377-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.1744102
Cairncross, B. (2020) Connoisseur’s Choice: Nambulite, Kombat Mine, Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia, Rocks & Minerals, 95:6, 530-534. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.1791625
Cairncross, B. (2020) The Where of Mineral Names: Hotsonite, Hotson 6 Mine, Koenabib Farm (Hotson 42 Farm), Khâi-Ma, Namakwa, Northern Cape, South Africa, Rocks & Minerals, 95:6, 567-570. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2020.179163 3
Bamford, M., Cairncross, B. and Lombaard, H. (2020). Fossil wood from the Permian Middleton Formation, Beaufort Group, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 123(4), https://0-doi-org.ujlink.uj.ac.za/10.25131/sajg.123.0036
2021
Cairncross, B. (2021). Southern lights: fluorescent minerals from southern Africa. Rocks & Minerals, 96(1), 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2021.1827910
Cairncross, B. (2021). Connoisseur’s Choice: Boltwoodite, Goanikontes Claim, Arandis, Erongo Region, Namibia. Rocks & Minerals, 96(3), 238-246. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2021.1875746
Cairncross, B. (2021). The minerals of Berg Aukas, Otavi Mountainland, Namibia. Rocks & Minerals, 96(2), 110-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2021.1848216
Cairncross, B. (2021). The Witwatersrand goldfield, South Africa. Rocks & Minerals, 96(4), 296-351.