hill Archives - Page 10 of 19

Peak

Clarens is a small town surrounded by its main attraction – mountains, especially since the village itself is situated in the foothills of the Maloti Mountain range of the Kingdom of Lesotho. The never-ending landscape of mountains such as the Rooiberge, the range encompassing Clarens and Maloti, also spelt Maluti, is just some of the town’s tourist attractions. The Maloti Mountains are often referred to as ‘majestic’ due to its shades of purple and blue, and its range forms a high alpine basalt plateau up to 3400 m in height with the highest peak in South Africa northeast of the range Thabana Ntlenyana at 3482 m, and the highest in the continent is south of the Kilimanjaro. Snow and frost may be found even in summer on the highest peaks.

18 September 2018Landscape, Picture of the day

Sweep

The Robberg Peninsula is conserved for several reasons. The mainland connects to an island through a spit called a tombolo. This results from waves sweeping around both sides of the island. Similar to other rocky headlands on this coastline, Robberg Peninsula supports a diverse array of plants and animals that have adapted to this land/sea ecology. But what sets it apart is the distinctive climbing-falling dune (one of only seven on this coastline). The bedrock of the peninsula was dated to the prehistoric breaking up of Gondwanaland and evidence of this can be seen at several sites. Besides the unique and fascinating typography, evidence of middle and later Stone Age inhabitation was found in a few of the caves. It is for this reason that the reserve was proclaimed a national monument.

10 August 2018Landscape, Picture of the day

Carved

Clarens is part of the scenic Highlands Route and is surrounded by mountains. The Rooiberge is the range encompassing the village, whilst further towards the southeast are the Maluti mountains in shades of purple and blue. All around are the sandstone cliffs with their multi-coloured layers – these horizontal strata are a characteristic feature of the area. Many homes in the Clarens Valley are made from or clad in sandstone. The rock was formed when the area was a desert 190-196 million years ago. Sand dunes built up over time and the sand particles were squeezed together to form a weak rock. Black stripes on the rock can be seen, even long after it has rained. These are areas where water seeps out of the rocks. Minerals from the top basalt layer are carried in the water and these stain the rocks black. The water enables organisms like algae and moss to live on the rock as well.

1 August 2018Landscape, Picture of the day