Mining companies in South Africa will soon have a new tool at their disposal to guide their exploration plans.

Launching the first phase of a capacity-building programme at its data centre, the Council for Geosciences (CGS) will have access to live global seismic data using a system donated by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation. Once the system is fully installed in the next few weeks, the centre will be able to livestream global seismic data that can be downloaded and analysed by different stakeholders, including the mining industry.

Mining Review notes that while the system is nominally meant to monitor seismic data caused by nuclear explosions, the data will also be useful in detecting unsafe mining locations for mining companies.

Leonard Tabane of the CGS says the capacity-building programme is the first step in the council’s plan to become a recognised national data centre, not just for South Africa but the whole continent.

15 April 2025
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