Project Title: Ambient Noise Tomography Across Southern Africa

Research Interests:  Seismology, surface wave tomography, and ambient noise tomography (ANT), with a particular focus on crustal and upper mantle imaging. I am also interested in seismic processing, seismic imaging, and exploration geophysics, including applications in both onshore and offshore hydrocarbon exploration.

Sbonelo Ngcongo is a PhD candidate specializing in seismology, with a focus on Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) to seismically image the crust and uppermost mantle beneath southern Malawi. This tectonically active region forms the southernmost segment of the East African Rift System (EARS), where lithospheric extension and rifting processes are still poorly understood. His research integrates seismic ambient noise cross-correlation with tomographic inversion to generate high-resolution shear-wave velocity models. The resulting models will provide critical new constraints on crustal architecture and upper mantle structure, contributing to a better understanding of rift evolution, lithospheric deformation, and seismic hazard potential in the region

Supervisors:   Dr Diego Quiros and  A/Prof Alastair Sloan

Degrees: 

1. Masters in Geophysics, University of Houston (USA)
2. BSc in Physics and Maths, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Awards:

1. UCT Doctoral Financial Aid – Recipient , KW Johnston Bequest Award (University of Cape Town) – Recipient
2. Upstream Training Trust (Petroleum Agency of South Africa) Bursary – Recipient