Africa’s rocks hold ancient stories. We need better ways to document and protect them

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From the Vredefort Dome in South Africa (the world's oldest and largest known meteorite-impact structure) to the volcanic lakes of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Africa's landscapes hold some of Earth's oldest stories. Morocco's M'Goun Unesco Global Geopark records more than 200 million years of geological history, while Tanzania's Ngorongoro-Lengai landscape brings together a vast caldera, an active volcano and the fossil record of Olduvai Gorge.

These places are not simply beautiful. Their rocks, fossils, caves, craters and river valleys preserve evidence of ancient climates, vanished environments, human origins and changes in the Earth's surface. They are part of Africa's geoheritage: geological features and processes with scientific, educational and cultural value.

Yet much of this heritage in Africa remains poorly documented and unevenly protected. Many countries lack formal inventories of important geological sites. Legal protection is inconsistent, public awareness is limited and responsibility is often split between geological surveys, universities, conservation agencies and tourism authorities.

When a place is missing from an inventory or map, it is also more likely to disappear online. It may never be photographed systematically, modelled in three dimensions or added to searchable databases. That makes it harder for researchers, teachers, visitors and funders to find. The under-representation of African journals in major academic databases deepens the problem.

I am a research fellow at the University of Western Cape, South Africa, geoscientist and founder of DigGeoNaija, which explores how digital tools can document, interpret and promote Africa's geological heritage. In a recent study, I examined the visibility of Africa in the international literature on digital geoheritage.

A global digital transformation, with Africa at the margins

Around the world, heritage managers are using geographic information systems (GIS), satellite imagery, drones, photogrammetry, laser scanning, 3D modelling, virtual reality and artificial intelligence to record and explain geological sites. These tools can reveal erosion, quarrying and vandalism. They can also give students and researchers access to places that are distant or fragile, while helping visitors understand a landscape before they arrive.

There are African projects that show what is possible. At M'Goun, researchers created digital records for 13 geological sites, combining photographs, location data and descriptions in an interactive map. The geopark also offers 360-degree virtual visits to selected geosites.

The African Fossils virtual laboratory is another example. Anyone with an internet connection can examine 3D models of fossils, ancient tools and other objects, many from the Lake Turkana region of Kenya. Lake Turkana and its surrounding basin are internationally important to the study of human origins because of the fossils and archaeological material discovered there. Some of the digital models can also be downloaded for 3D printing. This does not replace museums, local guides or field visits. Instead, it broadens access and can encourage deeper engagement with the landscapes and communities behind the material.

What my study found

I analysed publication records in Scopus and Web of Science, two major academic citation databases, searching for research about geoheritage sites. This was not a complete census of every African project, community initiative or unpublished archive. But it measured Africa's visibility in influential indexed research on geoheritage.

The result was striking. The global Scopus search returned 885 publications, but only 31 were Africa-related. Web of Science returned 534 publications, of which 20 concerned Africa. In both datasets, Africa accounted for fewer than 4% of the results from 2001 to 2025. No African country appeared among the ten leading global contributors or case-study locations. Within Africa, publications were concentrated mainly in Morocco, Egypt and South Africa, with Ethiopia also more visible than most countries. Many nations with major fossil, volcanic, desert and impact-crater landscapes had little or no representation.

This does not rank the value of any country's geological heritage. The pattern probably reflects unequal funding, limited access to equipment, differences in institutional capacity, international partnerships and the greater likelihood that research from some countries reaches indexed journals.

The central point is simple: visibility influences what gets researched, funded, taught and protected. Closing this gap is about providing better evidence for conservation, education, tourism and local decision-making.

Why digital visibility matters

First, documentation supports protection. Decision-makers cannot safeguard what has never been identified or assessed. A geosite may be damaged by mining, road construction, uncontrolled collecting, urban growth or poorly managed tourism before its value is understood. Digital records cannot stop destruction, but they create evidence of a site's importance and condition.

Second, visibility can create economic opportunity. Geoheritage can expand African tourism beyond wildlife, beaches and major monuments. When carefully managed, places such as Baringo and M'Goun can support local guides, accommodation, museums, transport, crafts and food businesses. The benefits must be shared with communities.

Third, digital resources make Earth science more relevant to African students. A learner should be able to study volcanic landforms in Tanzania, Nigerian inselbergs, Ethiopian fossil sites or Saharan landscapes through maps and models. Africa's evidence also matters to global science. Without it, our understanding of Earth's history remains incomplete.

What needs to happen next

The answer is not simply to buy expensive virtual-reality equipment. The first task is to build reliable, searchable inventories of geological sites. Governments, universities, geological surveys, tourism agencies and conservation bodies need shared methods for identifying sites, assessing their significance and recording threats.

There are foundations to build on. Unesco has supported capacity-building and aspiring geoparks such as Baringo. M'Goun has shown how field information can become a useful public map. In Nigeria, DigGeoNaija is developing a university-linked programme for GIS documentation, virtual interpretation and promotion, with Olumo Rock as an early pilot site.

Investment in people matters as much as technology. Young African geoscientists need training in mapping, remote sensing, drone surveying, 3D modelling, database management and public communication. They also need skills in preserving files, managing metadata, securing community consent and maintaining platforms after funding ends.

Regional collaboration could lower costs through shared standards, multilingual platforms, equipment centres, training programmes and repositories. Research searches must also extend beyond Scopus and Web of Science to African Journals Online, institutional repositories and national publications.

Most importantly, local communities must be partners from the beginning. Geological sites are often tied to oral histories, spiritual traditions, livelihoods and identity. Digital documentation should not remove knowledge or authority from the people who live with these landscapes. It should help them tell their own stories and shape decisions about access, tourism and commercial use.

Africa's geological heritage has always been here. What is missing is consistent documentation, protection and visibility. With sustained investment, African leadership and community participation, these ancient landscapes can become better-protected scientific archives, living classrooms and responsibly managed sources of local pride.

The rocks already hold the stories. The task is to make sure people can find them, understand them and protect them.

Kamaldeen O L Omosanya does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Kamaldeen O L Omosanya, Research Fellow, Department of Earth Science, University of the Western Cape, University of the Western Cape