Lungele Steve Kitoga completed his Honours studies in Exploration Geology at the Official University of Bukavu (D.R. Congo) in 2019 and earned a Master’s degree in Geology (Mantle Petrology) at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) in 2021. He has been registered for a PhD program in cotutelle between the Stellenbosch University and the Clermont Auvergne University in France since October 2021. 

His PhD project is entitled “The start of the Earth as we know it: Tracing the Onset of couplings between the outer and the inner Earth”. The project is investigating the potential transfers of surficial geochemical signatures into the deep Earth during the Archean, in order to improve our understanding of primitive geodynamic workings on the young Earth. To reach this major aim, three specific objectives are being individually pursued:
(1) Understanding the nature of surficial processes such as seawater-seafloor interactions on the primitive Earth using field data, mineral assemblages and bulk-rock geochemistry of ancient cherts and silicified underlying volcanics from the Barberton Greenstone Belt;
(2) Determining the specific stable isotope (Ce, S, Fe, Si, O) signatures of different supracrustal lithologies (e.g., silicified and sedimentary rocks) and their origin (i.e., causes of isotopic decoupling) in the Barberton Greenstone Belt;
(3) And finally, studying stable isotope signatures of TTGs that constitute recycling products of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, with the purpose of constraining the precise lithologies that intervened in the genesis of their ultimate source. This will allow contributing to discussions about geodynamic workings in the Archean crust, and for instance understanding the nature of “subductions” or “recyclings” during the Early Archean. Therefore, this research may shed more light on whether recycling processes operated during the Archean just like today, or not.

Besides his passion for research in geochemical finger-printings, Steve’s motivation in pursuing this PhD journey is to develop strong capacities of critical thinking and to accumulate a valuable load of background knowledge in Earth Sciences. He expects to valuably use these skills to build a fruitful career either in Academia or in Industry.