NATURAL & HISTORICAL SITES

If you are passionate about the past, check out our sites of special interest and plan your route. Remember to take your camera!

16 : Waterberg Red Beds

red soil & hill - Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, Vaalwater, Limpopo, Waterberg, South Africa [© 2009 PaulGodard.com]

The Waterberg rocks provide us with the oldest evidence on earth of the presence of enough free oxygen in the atmosphere.  This enabled rusting of iron to begin to occur for the first time, at around 1900 million years ago.  The rusted iron particles trapped in the sandstones of the Mogalakwena Formation caused the red coloration of the rocks - which are called 'red beds' by geologists - and make these rocks so important in understanding the history of our planet.  This rock buttress (see picture above)provides a striking example.

Contact Details

Waterberg Red Beds
Info
South Africa

GPS : S23 44.648 E28 36.715 | -23.74413,28.61192 (google)