Watching a cinema ready inwards Cape Town, South Africa, today, I wondered nearly the geology of Table Mountain, which looms inwards a higher house the city. As is frequently the case, the natural history of that famous massif is complex.
About 500 meg years ago, during the Cambrian Period, a rift valley developed inwards the southern part of a continental plate that included today's Continents of South America, Antarctica in addition to Africa. Initially flooded past times a shallow sea, the rift accumulated sediments over the side past times side 100 meg years. Throughout the belatedly Paleozoic in addition to early on Mesozoic Eras, this part was folded, lifted in addition to eroded past times tectonic forces every bit Earth's Continents merged into Pangea in addition to and then rifted apart.
Among the sedimentary rocks that formed inside the ancient rift valley was a thick layer of difficult quartzite sandstone; resistant to erosion, this Table Mountain Sandstone straight off outcrops every bit the steep cliffs of Table Mountain in addition to the Cape Fold Ranges of western South Africa. Of note, the western terminate of this sandstone formation is straight off institute inwards Argentina, separated from its South African segment every bit the Atlantic Ocean opened, simply about 150 meg years ago.
About 500 meg years ago, during the Cambrian Period, a rift valley developed inwards the southern part of a continental plate that included today's Continents of South America, Antarctica in addition to Africa. Initially flooded past times a shallow sea, the rift accumulated sediments over the side past times side 100 meg years. Throughout the belatedly Paleozoic in addition to early on Mesozoic Eras, this part was folded, lifted in addition to eroded past times tectonic forces every bit Earth's Continents merged into Pangea in addition to and then rifted apart.
Among the sedimentary rocks that formed inside the ancient rift valley was a thick layer of difficult quartzite sandstone; resistant to erosion, this Table Mountain Sandstone straight off outcrops every bit the steep cliffs of Table Mountain in addition to the Cape Fold Ranges of western South Africa. Of note, the western terminate of this sandstone formation is straight off institute inwards Argentina, separated from its South African segment every bit the Atlantic Ocean opened, simply about 150 meg years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment