308 GeoJournal 17.2/1988

International/National Conference on A DVANCES IN GROUND-WATER HYDROLOGY, dedicated to the memory of Dr. C. V. Theis, will be held Nov. 16 -18 , 1988 in Tampa, Florida, U S A

The advances in ground-water hydrology since 1976 and the needs for 1990s will be assessed. An optional short course on the application of computer models (namely the analytic element method) to ground-water problems will be given on November 19, 1988.

All recognized experts on ground-water hydrology have been invited to speak. The conference will include keynote addresses, invited papers, volunteered papers, and a special session on C. V. Theis and impact of his work on the development of ground-water hydrology.

For more information, inquire at the American Institute of Hydrology, 3416 University Ave. S. E., Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612/379-1030).

Thank you,

Dr. Alexander Zaporozec, General Secretary, AIH

Symposium on the Geomorphology of Southern Africa

The first Symposium on the Geomorphology of southern Africa was held at the University of Transkei, Umtata, on April 9th and 10th, 1988. It was conceived and convened by Professor G. F. Dardis (Transkei) and Dr. B. P. Moon (Witwatersrand) who, with Patricia Hanvey and Heinz Beckedahl (both Transkei) organised and ran the event, and the associated field excursions. Moon and Dardis also somehow contrived to have two books they had together edited, published and distributed during the Symposium! The Geomorphology of South Africa (Southern Publications, Johannesburg) is a collection of invited essays on various aspects of the landscapes of the subcontinent, and Geomorphological Studies in Southern Africa (Balkema,

Rotterdam) is in fact the proceedings of the Symposium. In addition Dardis, Hanvey and Beckedahl produced field guides for the pre- and post-Symposium excursions.

The meetings were attended by about 70 scientists from 17 nations. Thirty six papers were given and several poster presentations displayed. Topics included long-term geo- morphological evolution, desert dune systems, periglacial features, aspects of Quaternary climatic change, and process studies. A major subtheme centered on soil erosion, as a signi- ficant environmental problem throughout southern Africa. This theme was also highlighted in the pre-Symposium field excur- sions in the Umtata region.

The post-Symposium field excursion was an especially ambitious 2-week, 8,000 km traverse through the Cape Fold Belt, the Karoo, southern Namibia and the Eastern Transvaal- Durban regions. The last such extensive field excursion concerned with landforms and landscapes in southern Africa was organised in conjunction with the South African British Asso- ciation in 1905. The participants included W. M. Davis and A. Penck, whose published observations stimulated subsequent geomorphological work on the southern African sub-continent.

The meetings themselves ran smoothly and on schedule, thanks to some splendid behind-the-scenes work by the organisers. Discussions were lively and fruitful, and, if a Symposium is a convivial gathering, then this one lived up to its name. In addition to the scheduled events, the meeting determined to establish a regional group to be known as the Southern African Association of Geomorphologists. A working party chaired by Beckedahl has been charged to implement and detail the principle agreed upon, with a view to promoting the study of landforms and landscapes in the subcontinent, and to arranging further meetings with a strong field bias.

Thanks are due to the organisers for their splendid concept and their sterling efforts in bringing it to a smooth and stimu- lating reality. The Rector and staff of the University of Transkei gave strong moral and financial support to the meeting, and Anglo-American-De Beers also made available the funding without which the project would have foundered. The Symposium marks the beginning of a new phase in the geomorphological study of southern Africa.

C. R. Twidale - University of Adelaide V. R. Baker - University of Arizona