Specialists of the Russian State University for Geological Prospecting named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze (MGRI) and the University of Zimbabwe have conducted the first joint geological expedition in Zimbabwe, head of the MGRI project office for international communications Shivleta Tagirova told a Russian news agency.
"Together with students and professors from the University of Zimbabwe, our geologists carried out rock sampling in the Magondi area," she said.
Studying the Magondi belt, which is located in north-west Zimbabwe, was a purpose of the expedition because it provides valuable information about the process of evolution of the Earth's crust in this part of Africa. The team collected rock samples, made some paleontological discoveries, and drew conclusions about past climate conditions and their impact on ecosystems in the region, according to Tagirova.
The expedition also saw the launch of environmental monitoring stations developed by MGRI scientists and established at the University of Zimbabwe, ECOGEOSCAN 1 and ECOGEOSCAN 2, the report noted.
"The launch of the eco-monitoring stations is an important step in the scientific work of the two universities. It is important to us that a joint research team of scientists from MGRI and the University of Zimbabwe has been established to carry out this project," said Paul Makurira, vice-chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe.