Messum crater
The Messum Crater is a volcanic crater in the Kunene region , Damaraland , Namibia .
geology
The formation was created around 130 million years ago in connection with the breakup of the Gondwana continent. The wall that surrounds the Messum funnel is formed by a ring-shaped chain of hills with a diameter of approx. 22 km and overhanging its surroundings by approx. 200 meters. The formation consists of the former supply channels of the volcano, which was eroded after its formation. Messum consists of a core of syenites and monzonites that either contain quartz or foide . The core is encircled by two generations of olivine- bearing gabbros , which are associated with granites in the eastern part of the crater . In addition, basalt and rhyolite occur occasionally .
discovery
The name of the crater goes back to Captain W. Messum, who explored the area around the Brandberg massif in the middle of the 19th century . The geologist Henno Martin mapped the crater in 1939.
Flora and fauna
Many different species of scorpions and spiders live in the region, such as: B. the palm-sized roller spider .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Korn, H. and Martin, H. 1954. The Messum Igneous Complex in South West Africa. Trans. Geol. Soc. S.Afr., 57, 83-122.
- ↑ http://www.newera.com.na/articles/46197/Henno-Martin---The-Best-Known-Scientist-in-the-History-of-Namibian-Geology--1910---1998- ( Memento from February 21, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
Coordinates: 21 ° 25 ′ S , 14 ° 13 ′ E