World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Award Badge
Earth Science
South Africa
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
48
Citations
9517
World Ranking
3774
National Ranking
15

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Earth Science in South Africa Leader Award

Overview

Axel Hofmann is affiliated with the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and specializes in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Their research covers a broad scope within this field, focusing particularly on geophysics, paleontology, artificial intelligence applications in geosciences, geochemistry and petrology, and atmospheric science.

The scientist's work emphasizes several key topics, including:

  • Geological and Geochemical Analysis
  • Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping
  • Earthquake and Tectonic Studies
  • Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
  • High-pressure Geophysics and Materials

Among recent publications associated with this researcher are the following papers:

  • "A lithium-isotope perspective on the evolution of carbon and silicon cycles" (2021) published in Nature
  • "Cellular remains in a ~3.42-billion-year-old subseafloor hydrothermal environment" (2021) published in Science Advances
  • "Hadaean to Palaeoarchaean stagnant-lid tectonics revealed by zircon magnetism" (2023) published in Nature
  • "The Archaean geological history of the Singhbhum Craton, India - a proposal for a consistent framework of craton evolution" (2022) published in Earth-Science Reviews
  • "3.51 Ga old felsic volcanic rocks and carbonaceous cherts from the Gorumahisani Greenstone Belt - Insights into the Palaeoarchaean record of the Singhbhum Craton, India" (2021) published in Precambrian Research

Hofmann frequently collaborates with several other researchers, most notably:

  • Frantz Ossa Ossa
  • Andrey Bekker
  • Marlina Elburg
  • Andrea Agangi
  • Jaganmoy Jodder

Publication venues where Hofmann's work appears regularly include:

  • Precambrian Research
  • South African Journal of Geology
  • Earth and Planetary Science Letters
  • Chemical Geology
  • Journal of African Earth Sciences

Best Publications

  • Iron Formation: The Sedimentary Product of a Complex Interplay among Mantle, Tectonic, Oceanic, and Biospheric Processes

    A. Bekker;B. Krapež;J. F. Slack;N. Planavsky

  • Evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis half a billion years before the Great Oxidation Event

    Noah J. Planavsky;Dan Asael;Axel Hofmann;Christopher T. Reinhard

  • Rare Earth Element and yttrium compositions of Archean and Paleoproterozoic Fe formations revisited: New perspectives on the significance and mechanisms of deposition

    Noah Planavsky;Noah Planavsky;Andrey Bekker;Olivier J. Rouxel;Olivier J. Rouxel;Balz S. Kamber

  • Geodynamo, Solar Wind, and Magnetopause 3.4 to 3.45 Billion Years Ago

    John A. Tarduno;Rory D. Cottrell;Michael K. Watkeys;Axel Hofmann

  • The geochemistry of sedimentary rocks from the Fig Tree Group, Barberton greenstone belt: Implications for tectonic, hydrothermal and surface processes during mid-Archaean times

    Axel Hofmann

  • Iron Formations: Their Origins and Implications for Ancient Seawater Chemistry

    A. Bekker;N. Planavsky;Birger Rasmussen;Bryan Krapez

  • Titanium isotopic evidence for felsic crust and plate tectonics 3.5 billion years ago

    Nicolas D. Greber;Nicolas Dauphas;Andrey Bekker;Andrey Bekker;Matouš P. Ptáček

  • Sulfur record of rising and falling marine oxygen and sulfate levels during the Lomagundi event

    Noah J. Planavsky;Andrey Bekker;Axel Hofmann;Jeremy D. Owens

  • Rapid emergence of subaerial landmasses and onset of a modern hydrologic cycle 2.5 billion years ago

    I.N. Bindeman;D.O. Zakharov;J. Palandri;Nicolas David Greber

  • Silica alteration zones in the Barberton greenstone belt: A window into subseafloor processes 3.5-3.3 Ga ago

    Axel Hofmann;Chris Harris

  • Iron isotope composition of some Archean and Proterozoic iron formations

    Noah Planavsky;Noah Planavsky;Olivier J. Rouxel;Olivier J. Rouxel;Andrey Bekker;Axel Hofmann

  • Towards a complete magmatic barcode for the Zimbabwe craton: Baddeleyite U-Pb dating of regional dolerite dyke swarms and sill complexes

    Ulf Söderlund;Axel Hofmann;Martin B. Klausen;Johan R. Olsson

  • Pyrite Zoning as a Record of Mineralization in the Ventersdorp Contact Reef, Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa

    Andrea Agangi;Axel Hofmann;Cora C. Wohlgemuth-Ueberwasser

  • A lithium-isotope perspective on the evolution of carbon and silicon cycles

    Boriana Kalderon-Asael;Joachim A. R. Katchinoff;Noah J. Planavsky;Ashleigh Von S. Hood

  • Multiple sulphur and iron isotope composition of detrital pyrite in Archaean sedimentary rocks: A new tool for provenance analysis

    Axel Hofmann;Andrey Bekker;Andrey Bekker;Olivier J. Rouxel;Douglas Rumble

  • Evolution of atmospheric xenon and other noble gases inferred from Archean to Paleoproterozoic rocks

    G. Avice;B. Marty;R. Burgess;A. Hofmann

  • Isotopic evidence for oxygenated Mesoarchaean shallow oceans

    Benjamin Eickmann;Benjamin Eickmann;Axel Hofmann;Martin Wille;Martin Wille;Thi Hao Bui

  • Coupled Fe and S isotope variations in pyrite nodules from Archean shale

    Johanna Marin-Carbonne;Claire Rollion-Bard;Andrey Bekker;Olivier Rouxel

  • Carbonaceous Cherts in the Barberton Greenstone Belt and Their Significance for the Study of Early Life in the Archean Record

    Axel Hofmann;Robert Bolhar

  • Implications of in situ calcification for photosynthesis in a ~3.3 Ga-old microbial biofilm from the Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa

    Frances Westall;Barbara Cavalazzi;Barbara Cavalazzi;Laurence Lemelle;Yves Marrocchi

  • A trace element and Pb isotopic investigation into the provenance and deposition of stromatolitic carbonates, ironstones and associated shales of the 3.0 Ga Pongola Supergroup, Kaapvaal Craton

    Robert Bolhar;Robert Bolhar;Axel Hofmann;Mehrnaz Siahi;Yue-xing Feng

Frequent Co-Authors

Andrey Bekker
Andrey Bekker University of California, Riverside
Christian Koeberl
Christian Koeberl University of Vienna
Noah J. Planavsky
Noah J. Planavsky Yale University
Paul H.G.M. Dirks
Paul H.G.M. Dirks James Cook University
Olivier Rouxel
Olivier Rouxel French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea
Ronny Schoenberg
Ronny Schoenberg University of Tübingen
Ernst Hegner
Ernst Hegner Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Allan H. Wilson
Allan H. Wilson University of the Witwatersrand
Alfred Kröner
Alfred Kröner Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
Luc André
Luc André Royal Museum for Central Africa

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Earth Science can open doors to diverse career options, and many students are turning to online programs to enhance their qualifications flexibly. For military veterans interested in broadening their skills, an online spanish degree for military veterans offers valuable language proficiency that complements environmental communication roles.

Those with creative interests may find opportunities in environmental visualization or public outreach through an online mfa visual arts program, merging art and science to better engage communities about Earth-related issues.

Management roles within environmental organizations or agencies benefit from leadership expertise, making an best online human resource management masters degree a practical choice for career advancement.

Additionally, seniors looking to pivot or supplement their careers might consider one year degrees for seniors, which offer expedited pathways to new skillsets in Earth Science or related fields.

Best Scientists Citing Axel Hofmann

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles