The Magaliesberg is a mountain range extending from Pretoria in the north of the Gauteng Province to a point south of Pilanesberg, in the North West Province, South Africa (see also Pilanesberg National Park). A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. Gauteng (xaʊˈtɛŋ Sotho xɑ́útʼèŋ̀ is a province of South Africa. North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mafikeng. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The highest point of the Magaliesberg is reached at Nooitgedacht (1 852 metres) .
Contents |
Geology
The Magaliesberg Range has a very long geological history. Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Its quartzites, shales, chert and dolomite were deposited as sediments in an inland basin on top of the 3 billion year old Archaean Basement Complex. This process of sedimentation lasted for about 300 million years. About 2 billion years ago a massive upwelling of molten magma resulted in what is now known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex. The Bushveld Igneous Complex (or BIC) is a large Igneous Intrusion within the Earth's crust which has been tilted and eroded and now The enormous weight of this intrusion depressed the sediments that lay beneath and tilted the sediments along the edges so that the broken scarps faced outward and upward, and the gentler dip slopes inward. During the same period these sediments were fractured and igneous intrusions filled the cracks. With the passage of time these intrusions eroded, especially on the dip slopes, forming deep kloofs or ravines providing excellent rock-climbing potential to modern man. This large dogbone-shaped area is now termed the Transvaal Basin and includes the lofty escarpment of the Transvaal Drakensberg overlooking the Lowveld in the eastern part of the country. Massive outpourings of igneous material of the much younger Karroo System later covered the Transvaal Basin, but was subsequently eroded so that it only remains along the Transvaal Basin's southern rim.
Climate
The range forms a natural barrier between the lower lying Bushveld to the north and the cooler Highveld to the south. The Bushveld is a tropical savanna Ecoregion of Southern Africa that encompasses most of Limpopo Province and part of the North West Province The Highveld is a high Plateau region of South Africa which is largely home to the largest metropolitan area in the country the Gauteng City Region The range receives rainfall in summer in the form of thunderstorms, with an average of 650mmm annually. In winter frost occurs frequently in the valleys on the southern side of the mountain, but almost never on the northern slopes.
History
The area around the Magaliesberg range has seen extremely lengthy occupation by humans dating back at least 2 million years to the earliest hominin species (such as Mrs Ples) in and around the Sterkfontein Caves, which lie at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, close to the town of Magaliesburg. Hominini is the tribe of Homininae that comprises humans ( Homo) Chimpanzees ( Pan) and their Extinct ancestors Mrs Ples (considered to be 215 million years old is the popular nickname for the most complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus ever found in South Africa Sterkfontein ( Afrikaans for Strong Spring) is a set of Limestone Caves of special interest to paleo - Anthropologists The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site first named by UNESCO in 1999 about 50 Kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex
The later inhabitants of the mountain range called them the Kashan mountains, but the name was later changed to Magaliesberg after the Tswana chief Magali who ruled his tribe at the same time the Voortrekkers were entering this area. Tswana ( Motswana, plural Batswana) is the name of a Southern African people Voortrekkers can also refer to a youth organization see Voortrekkers (youth organization. In the nineteenth century, explorers such as David Livingstone and William Cornwallis Harris traversed the area and made contact with some of the tribes living there. Dr David Livingstone (19 March 1813 &ndash 1 May 1873 was a British Congregationalist pioneer medical Missionary with the London Missionary Society Major Sir William Cornwallis Harris (baptised 2 April 1807 - died 9 October 1848) was an English military engineer artist and hunter
In 1822 Shaka sent his most trusted commander, Mzilikazi, to conquer the Sotho tribes of the region. Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the Shaka (sometimes spelled Tshaka, Tchaka or Chaka; ca 1787 – ca Mzilikazi (meaning The Great Road) (ca 1790 - 9 September 1868) also sometimes called Mosilikatze was a Southern African king After accomplishing this task, Mzilikazi decided to break away from Shaka and found his own nation, the Matabele. This article relates to the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe For other uses of the term please see Ndebele. As he feared an attack from Shaka if he returned home he settled in the Magaliesberg regions.
On 17 January 1837, after some Voortrekkers had been attacked and killed by Mzilikazi's impis they counter-attacked and, under the leadership of Hendrik Potgieter and Gerrit Maritz, drove the Matabeles north across the Limpopo River. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca See also 1836 in South Africa, other events of 1837, 1838 in South Africa and the Timeline of South African history. An Impi is an isiZulu word for any armed body of men However in English it is often used to refer to a Zulu Regiment, which is called an ibutho in Andries Hendrik Potgieter ( 19 December 1792 - 16 December 1852) was a Voortrekker leader The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. The Boers subsequently settled in the valleys of the Magaliesberg Range and turned the region into some of the most productive farmland in South Africa. Boer (ˈbuːr in Dutch ˈbʊɚ/ /boʊɚ or /ˈbɔr/ in English is the Dutch word for Farmer which came to denote the descendants of the proto Afrikaans
The area saw some heavy fighting during the Second Anglo-Boer War. See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: The Boers, being extremely familiar with the mountains, used secret pathways across the mountains to launch guerrilla attacks on the British soldiers. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. In response, the British forces built blockhouses on top of the mountains in order to restrict the movement of the Boer forces; ruins of these structures are still to be seen on the mountain. In Military science, a blockhouse is a small isolated Fort in the form of a single building
Control of the Magaliesberg Mountain Range was of great importance to both the Boer and the British forces, especially the two routes between Pretoria and Rustenburg, which crossed it at Silkaatsnek and Kommandonek, respectively. Rustenburg ( Afrikaans and Dutch: Town of Rest) is a City of 395761 inhabitants (2001 National Census situated in at the foot of the As a result many battles, such as the battles of Buffelspoort, Nooitgedacht and Olifantsnek were fought in the area.
After the war, farms in the area were reoccupied and farming was resumed, tobacco and citrus being particularly successful. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Citrus is a common term and Genus of Flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of
In 1923 the Hartbeespoort Dam, situated in one of the valleys of the range, was completed. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hartbeespoort Dam also known as HARTIES (officially the Hartbeespoort Dam Reservoir) is a Dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa It became a popular holiday and weekend destination for the inhabitants of Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the village of Hartbeespoort was created as a result. Hartbeespoort is a small resort Town in the North West Province of South Africa, situated on slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain and the
At present the Magaliesberg area is still largely agricultural, although tourism is a rapidly growing industry in the area. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture
Kgaswane Mountain Reserve is a nature reserve above Rustenburg covering 4257ha of the Magaliesberg. Numerous smaller reserves, private and state, are to be found along the length of the range.
External links
- Mountain Club of South Africa
- Magaliesberg Protection Association
- Kgaswane Mountain Reserve
- Johannesburg Hiking Club
- Magaliesburg Accommodation and Reservations - Tourism Info Office
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic