Rock solid friendships for UKZN geology graduates

A SHARED passion for geology has become the bedrock of a lasting friendship between UKZN students, Tamera Heeralal and Marinja Bester. 

This week their shared journey of late night studying, hot chocolate and challenging offshore work culminated in a well-deserved milestone; both  graduated with Master’s degrees in Geology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

But it's also the beginning of a new chapter, as the two friends now take separate paths in the world of work.

Heeralal, told the Independent on Saturday that her dad played a key role in her love for geology, especially marine geology. 

“He always had National Geographic documentaries on, and I was especially fascinated by the ones about the ocean and seismologists tracking seismic activity. I remember turning to him and saying, ‘I want to be just like them.’”

She was drawn to the power and mystery of the earth, especially those unfolding beneath the surface; while her fascination with ocean research has been a driving force throughout her career. “We’ve mapped the moon in more detail than our own oceans, which I found truly intriguing,” she said.

Her thesis focused on submerged shorelines offshore Hottentots Bay, Namibia where she investigated the geomorphology and seismic stratigraphy of the area. “Using pseudo-3D seismic profiles, multibeam bathymetry, backscatter data, and analysing over 6 400 drill cores, I aimed to better understand the evolution of the coastal shelf. The key findings of my research included the identification of paleo-surfaces and gravel beach formations, which indicated ancient sea level stands. I was able to reconstruct sedimentary sequences that correlate with sea level fluctuations spanning from the late Oligocene to the Holocene.”

The outcome provided insights into the marine “transgressions and regressions” which shaped the shoreline through various geological periods. Her work also sheds light on the dynamic processes that have influenced coastal evolution and offers a clearer understanding of past environmental changes in the region.

“This research is significant because it provides insights into how coastlines responded to past sea-level changes - a topic that is increasingly relevant in the context of rising sea levels due to global warming. By understanding how shorelines were preserved or eroded in the past, we can better predict how they might behave in the future.” 

When she’s not collecting lava samples from an active volcano or monitoring earthquakes on land, Heeralal continues her exploration of the ocean floor by mapping it with high-resolution multibeam echosounders and collecting seismic data to reveal what lies beneath the seabed. “It’s not exactly how I imagined it as a child, but it’s no less exciting. I get to contribute to our understanding of the seafloor in a way that respects and preserves the biodiversity of our oceans.” 

She speaks fondly of her friend Marinja saying that over the past eight years they've become family and the bond was cemented when they relocated to Cape Town to work for the same company. “With no family around, our bond grew even stronger. We spent most of our time working offshore together, sharing everything from seasickness to laughter, our love for K-pop, and even quiet moments of reflection. After the madness of our master’s journeys, we now get to graduate together, a full-circle moment I’ll always cherish,” Heeralal says. 

Marinja Bester agrees that their friendship is as solid as a rock. She credits the many sleepovers and late-night cups of hot chocolate for giving them the courage to finish their research.

“We worked on the same survey ship, on the same team, shared a cabin, shared our seasickness debacles, the rough weather, the beautiful wildlife sceneries, shared many sunsets and sunrises and the best of all was sharing meals and secret midnight snacks onboard.”

Bester always had a “knack for geology” and as a child she would collect rocks while hiking with her family. Years later she learned that her parents secretly tossed some of them out when her backpack became too heavy.

“My natural love for the earth and the ocean and the inner workings and formation of it was a long-standing interest of mine. Putting together my love for rocks and the ocean, studying marine geology seemed like the natural way to go for me,” she said. 

Her thesis focused on data collected along the southern Namibian coastline just north of the Orange River mouth. 

The coastline, says Bester,  is unique due to the formation of beach barriers and spit structures that have been preserved at water depths ranging between 55 m and 100 m below sea level. 

“The analysis is primarily configured using remote sensing approaches, alongside drilled core samples to ground truth the seismic stratigraphy and provide age constraints. In the seismic stratigraphy data captured of this area, where the cross-section of the units below the seafloor can be seen, the units show movements of units growing towards the shore or outward to sea patterns are observed by their internal structures which were individually marked.” Bester says studying these depositional patterns reveal the historical coastline behaviour and sea-level fluctuations and allows scientists to correlate this with known events that have been documented in previous research. 

“This way we can create a comprehensive geological model of the coastline under specific controls such as sea-level changes, sediment supply and underlying bedrock control. In these particular conditions we observe the formation of prograded barrier spits, downstepping barriers and mixed sand-gravel shorefaces. This also leads to the conclusion of the significant role geological controls play in barrier system development and preservation. Essentially, these preserved barrier spit formations act as a natural record book.”

Studying geology changed the way Bester views the concept of time. “Observing the earth and ocean gives me a moment to slow down and take a deep breath and remember that life doesn’t have to be a rush going a million miles a minute. These beautiful creations and structures were formed over millions of years. This allows me to ‘stop and smell the roses’.”