In this Act, unless the context otherwise indicates—

"chairperson"

means the chairperson of the Board appointed in terms of section 4;

[Definition substituted by section 1(a) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"Chief Executive Officer"

means the person appointed in terms of section 18 as the Chief Executive Officer of the Council;

[Definition inserted by section 1(b) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"committee"

means a committee nominated in terms of section 16;

"Council"

means the Council for Geoscience referred to in section 2;

"discovery"

means a technological or scientific discovery, including a discovery of a mineral deposit;

[Definition substituted by section 1(c) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"economic geology"

means the study of the distribution, formation, economics and application of earth materials for economic and industrial purposes;

[Definition inserted by section 1(d) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"environmental geology"

means geology applied to the solving of conflicts, minimizing possible adverse environmental degradation or maximizing possible advantageous conditions resulting from the use of the natural and modified environment;

[Definition inserted by section 1(d) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"Executive Committee"

means the Executive Committee of the Board referred to in section 15;

[Definition substituted by section 1(e) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"executive officer"

[Definition deleted by section 1(f) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geochemistry"

means the study of the chemical composition of the earth and terrestrial bodies, and the chemical processes and reactions that govern the composition of rocks, water, and soils, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the earth's chemical components in time and space, and their interaction with the hydrosphere and the atmosphere;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geochronology"

means the science of determining the absolute age of rocks, fossils and sediments, by means of element decay within a certain degree of uncertainty inherent to the applied method;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geohazards"

means—

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geohydrology"

means the study area of geology that deals with the distribution, movement, extraction and quality of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the earth's crust;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geohydrological aquifer systems"

means the study area of geology that deals with the study of the structures and pathways that control the movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the earth's crust;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geomagnetism"

means the study of the earth's magnetic field and phenomena related thereto;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geophysics"

means the study of the earth by the quantitative observation of its physical properties;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geoscientific information"

includes geotechnical information, mining, geohydrology, geochemistry, geophysics, engineering geology, economic geology, geochronology, palaeontology, geohydrological aquifer systems, geotechnical investigations, marine geology, geomagnetism, seismology, geohazards and environmental geology;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geotechnical information"

means information pertaining to the physical properties of rocks or soil with a view to designing earthworks and foundations for development of structures or for repair of distress to earthworks and structures caused by subsurface conditions;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"geotechnical investigations"

means physical investigations pertaining to the physical properties of rocks or soil with a view to designing earthworks and foundations for development of structures or for repair of distress to earthworks and structures caused by subsurface conditions;

[Definition inserted by section 1(g) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"Board"

means the non-executive Board referred to in section 4;

[Definition, previously known as "Management Board", substituted by section 1(h) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"mineral"

means a mineral as defined in section 1 of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act No. 28 of 2002);

[Definition substituted by section 1(i) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"Minister"

means the Minister of Mineral Resources;

[Definition substituted by section 1(j) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"prospecting"

means prospecting as defined in section 1 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act No. 28 of 2002);

[Definition substituted by section 1(k) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"reconnaissance operation"

means any operation carried out for or in connection with the search for a mineral by geological, geophysical and photogeological surveys and includes any remote sensing techniques, but does not include any prospecting operation;

[Definition inserted by section 1(l) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"regulation"

means a regulation in force in terms of this Act;

"seismology"

is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the earth.

[Definition inserted by section 1(l) of Act No. 16 of 2010]

"this Act"

includes a regulation.