The Devil's Playground

Posted June 16, 2024 by Jan
Namibia

Keetmanshoop

Karas Region

South Namibia

June 15, 2024

Hello, 

Geological Wonders of Namibia explains the The Devil's Playground as "a chaotic pile of huge dolorite blocks." **

"Giant Dyke Swarms (GDS), which naturally appear in very old geological formations, have been detected not only on Earth but also on Mars and Venus.  

In times of great geodynamic activity, like the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, pressurized magma violently fractures the crust, while simultaneously injecting itself through subsurface fractures, forming dykes.  Some dykes reach the surface generating volcanic eruptions.

Garas Park Camp

Posted June 15, 2024 by Jan
Namibia

Garas Park Camp

Keetmanshoop Town

Karas Region

South Namibia

June 14, 2024

Hello,

The name Garas is derived from the Nama word which means quiver tree. The Garas campsite is basic yet clean, offering washing facilities and attractive decorations. It is surrounded by numerous quiver trees, aloe plants , and stunning rock formations.

Bull's Party

Posted June 9, 2024 by Jan
Namibia

Ameib Guest Farm

Erongo

Namibia

June 5, 2024  

 

Bull's Party.  Surreal Granite Composition *

Many photos depict the enormously impressing granite rock formations of Namibia.  In the Erongo Mountains, at the ancient remains of a volcano, between Omaruru and Usakos one can find a large variety of these surreal appearing formations. Most famous is the Bull’s Party on farm Ameib.

Here the granite rocks formed by "spheroidal weathering" are particularly impressive: a dream for photographers.

The Erongo Volcanic Complex

Posted June 7, 2024 by Jan
Namibia

Erongo Complex

Pension Rapmund

Swakopmund

Namibia

June 4, 2024

Hello,

Are you a Mineral Collector?  The Erongo Complex is The Place!

The granite hosted pegmatites of the Erongo Volcanic Complex in central Namibia are well known for the wide variety of minerals present, of considerable interest to mineral collectors. These include (amongst others) often spectacular, museum quality examples of beryl, schorl, jeremejevite, fluorite, quartz, goethite and cassiterite. The locality is particularly recognized for hosting a variety of beryl types, including green, yellow (heliodor), colorless (goshenite) and blue/greenish blue (aquamarine) variants.

My tour group stopped at a Mineral Market here in the Erongo Complex.  The serious geologists among us purchased large mineral specimens suitable for proud display in home or office.

Naukluft and Tsaris and Sossusvlei

Posted June 2, 2024 by Jan
Namibia

Pension Rapmund                                                                          Swakopmund                                                                                  West Central Namibia

June 2, 2024

 

We continue our journey  through the Namib-Naukluft National Park to explore the agonizing  shapes yet pleasing “earthtones” of the fault formations.

We then leave the Naukluft Range to visit the Tsaris Mountains.  Here within the black and white striations lie some of the oldest shell fossils in the world: Namacalathus. The discovery of these fossils caused the Precambrian Cambrian boundary to be revised back in time. *

Finally we visit one of Namibia’s great natural wonders, the Sussusvlei Pan and the surrounding red desert sand dunes.

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