Geological Atlas of Africa (with notes on stratigraphy, tectonics, economic geology, geohazards and geosites each country) / Геологический атлас Африки (с примечаниями по стратиграфии, тектонике, экономической геологии, геологическим опасностям)

This atlas is intended primarily for anybody who is interested in basic geology of Africa. Its originality lies in the fact that the regional geology of each African nation or territory is reviewed country-wise by maps and text, a view normally not presented in textbooks of regional geology. It is my belief, that there has long been a need in universities and geological surveys, both in Africa and in the developed world, for summarizing geological maps and an accompanying basic text utilising the enormous fund of knowledge that has been accumulated since the beginning of geological research in Africa in the mid–19th century. I hope that, in part, the present atlas may satisfy this need.

The idea to compile the atlas resulted from my teaching experience at African universities for more than 20 years, and after I had witnessed that my colleagues there often had no access to geological overview maps, references and literature of other African countries, sometimes badly needed for teaching purposes. In western eyes Africa is often perceived only as a land of adventurers and explorers, but while Africa is undeniably diverse and different, it has never been a lost continent – only unfamiliar, underappreciated, misunderstood or forgotten. Anybody who has ever gone to Africa has taken a part of it away and left something behind. The results have not been always good, nor have they always been bad, but they have all gone into the mix that makes up the African society. The atlas is therefore intended to build capabilities and capacities at various places in Africa, so that the people there can later continue on their own with what I had begun.

The atlas is subdivided into four chapters centering on regional geological aspects of each African country or territory. The fi rst chapter defi nes the scientifi c issues involved in the preparation of the atlas and provides some background for the arrangement of how the atlas was done. The second chapter is devoted to the history of geological mapping in Africa, necessary for a fuller appreciation of why this work in Africa is worth doing. Chapter 3 provides an executive summary on the stratigraphy and tectonics of Africa as a whole, i. e. in the context of no political boundaries.

The main part of the atlas lies in Chapter 4, where in alphabetical order each African country or territory is presented by a digitized geological overview map and an accompanying text on its respective stratigraphy, tectonics, economic geology, geohazards and geosites. A short list of relevant references is also added. The atlas, essentially devoted to African geology, offers in a condensed way data on all aspects of current geoscientifi c issues that may in future contribute to the development of this continent.