Barberton Greenstone Belt

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Barberton Greenstone Belt
Barberton Mountain Land
Makhonjwa Mountains
location South Africa ( Mpumalanga Province ), Swaziland
Barberton Greenstone Belt Barberton Mountain Land Makhonjwa Mountains (South Africa)
Barberton Greenstone Belt Barberton Mountain Land Makhonjwa Mountains
Coordinates 25 ° 49 ′  S , 31 ° 9 ′  E Coordinates: 25 ° 49 ′  S , 31 ° 9 ′  E
rock Granite , basalt etc. a.
Age of the rock approx. 3600 mya
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The Barberton Greenstone Belt , also Barberton Mountain Land after the town of Barberton or Makhonjwa Mountains , is a mountain range in the South African province of Mpumalanga and in Swaziland . It belongs to the greenstone belts and rises up to 1,800 meters above sea level. It consists of rocks that are among the oldest on the earth's surface and is called the Genesis of Life (German: "Origin of Life") because the world's oldest traces of life were discovered there. The South African part of the mountains has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains since 2018 .

geography

The Barberton Greenstone Belt extends over an area of ​​around 120 km × 60 km along the border between South Africa and Swaziland ; around 20 percent are in Swaziland. It lies 600 to 1800 meters above sea level and is characterized by rocky hills, wide grassy areas and wooded valleys. It belongs to the great marginal step and slopes to the east. Just a little to the south is Emlembe , Swaziland's highest mountain.

In the south the Barberton Greenstone Belt is bounded by the Lochiel Plateau, in the north by the area around Mbombela and Komatipoort ; in the southwest lies the catchment area of ​​the Komati , in the northeast the catchment area of ​​the Mahlambanyati and Crocodile River .

Closest towns are Barberton in South Africa and Ngwenya and Piggs Peak in Swaziland.

geology

The greenstone belt is located on the eastern edge of the Kaapvaal craton . It comes from the Archean and is known for its gold deposits and komatiite . The rocks mainly belong to the Onverwacht Group , next to the Moodies Group and the Fig Tree Group. It contains mafic to ultramafic lava and sedimentary rocks that are between 3200 and 3500 mya . All phases of the geological age at that time can be traced in the Barberton Greenstone Belt; the mountains are considered to be the most geologically explored in South Africa.

Traces of prokaryotes , the oldest traces of living things in the world, have been found in the rocks . Also there were stromatolites found.

history

The area was sparsely populated because of its sterility, originally by San , later by Swazi . In the 1860s there were clashes between Boer settlers and Swazi. After alluvial gold discoveries in 1882 in what was then Duiwels Kantoor, today Kaapsehoop, the region gained popularity. As a result, minerals such as asbestos , iron ore , talc , barite and magnesite were mined in addition to gold . The precious stones serpentinite and green slate were also mined. In 1939 the 20 km long, cross-border material ropeway Bulembu – Barberton was built . Mining activities subsided again from the 1980s, and in 2001 the cable car was shut down. Gold is still being mined.

In 2009 the South African government applied for the recognition of an area of ​​862 square kilometers and around 40 percent of the mountain area as UNESCO World Heritage. The recognition took place on July 2, 2018.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Four sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. unesco.org, accessed on July 2, 2018
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Description of the candidates for UNESCO World Heritage (English), accessed on December 8, 2015
  3. ^ A b c d Carl R. Anhaeusser: The history of mining in the Barberton Green Belt, South Africa, with an emphasis on gold (1868-2012). ( Memento of September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (English; PDF; 4.43 MB), accessed on December 10, 2015