BLYDE RIVER
CANYON
The Blyde River Canyon is the third largest Canyon in the world
and one of South Africa's scenic wonders.
The Canyon is characterized by striking rock formation of
sedimentary origin, deposited in ancient geological times. Millions
of years of erosion have exposed the sediments. Hard quartzite
layers are seen today as sheer cliff faces in the canyon, while
softer shale’s have weathered to form the inclined slopes between.
An ancient dolomite layer has been almost entirely eroded in the
reserve area, but still occurs in the vicinity immediately to the
west. The most recent geological formation originates in the
dolomite layer from which calcium is transported by water and is
continuously deposited again to build up the unique TUFA cascades
in the Kadishi stream and waterfall (see Earth Cache GC17G9D)
The Blyde River has its source in the Drakensberg, close to
Pilgrim’s Rest and flows north, being joined by the Treur at the
remarkable Bourke’s Luck Potholes, before it enters the great
canyon that it has helped to create in the course of millions of
years. Minor imperfections in die dolomite rock have been worn away
by the swirling water with its load of grit and pebbles, causing
potholes to appear.
A great tilting of the land surface, following a massive
volcanic disturbance in central Mpumalanga millions of years ago,
produced the mighty Mpumalanga Drakensberg escarpment. Layers of
sand and mud, deposited by vanished inland lakes, have become
compressed to form quartzite and shale. The Blyde River carried
suspended particles ranging from grains of sand to great boulders
and their erosive effect created the formations we see today.
At the great Swadini buttress, the harder quartzite forms the
vertical cliffs, while softer shale’s have eroded to form the
talus, or sloping sections which are now covered with vegetation.
Capping the escarpment is a layer of hard, black reef
quartzite.
The listed waypoint will take you to a view point just of the
scenic Panorama road, from where most of the Canyon can be
seen.
In order to qualify to log this cache, you need to answer the
following questions and s=email the cache owner. Any logs not
accompanied by an email will be deleted.
- Take a photo of your GPSr at this spot with the Blyde River
Canyon in the background.
- What is the total distance of the length of the Blyde River
Canyon?
- What is the estimated depth erosion, of the potholes that is
located at Bourke’s Luck?
- What evidence did you find walking from the parking area to the
view point of a ancient inland sea (look at the rocks that form the
pathway)?
Acknowledgments:
Off the beaten Track
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency