Miengah Abrahams
Lecturer
Biography
Ichnology enthusiast.
My research interests include quantifying the morphology of trace fossils and trying to better understand the interaction between a substrate and ancient trace-maker. My current focuses are Mesozoic dinosaur tracks and Quaternary termite nests.
Disciplines
Ichnology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, U-Pb geochronology
Fields of study
Trace fossil morphology is dependent on the substrate, the tracemaker and its behaviour. By quantifying trace fossil morphology and refining our sedimentological understanding of the fossil host rock, we can gain an understanding of ancient animal behaviour, preferred habitats (response to environment) and, coupled with detailed geochronological frameworks, even unravel evolutionary trends. For termite research, fossil nest structures are vital for understanding termite evolution (e.g., timing, prevalence) because the nests have higher preservation potential than the insects themselves. My current termite nest research aims to wholistically document these ichnofossils in western South Africa e.g., morphology, composition, their palaeoenvironment, and age.
Awards and recognition
- [2021] NRF Thuthuka Grant
- [2021] Palaeontological Scientific Trust operational support
- [2021] UCT Research Development Grant
- [2020] UCT Research Development Grant
- [2019] GRANT- DST-NRF Research Development Grants for New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP) Scholars
- [2019] UCT Research Development Grant
