Many of the spectacular landscapes around Cape Town involve outcrops of the ca. 540 to 510 Ma Cape Granite Suite.

These rocks are not only extremely picturesque but they also contain a wealth of information about the recycling of the continental crust during the Saldanian Orogeny, how large granitic plutons and volcanic complexes are constructed and the source processes that spawned the magmas.

The field trip will visit key localities, including the Peninsula pluton at Llandudno, the Darling batholith south of the town Darling and the newly identified Saldanha Bay Cauldron Complex on the coasts around the Langebaan lagoon.  At each locality, information derived from the outcrops relevant to the genesis of the granitic and felsic volcanic rocks, as well as the geodynamic processes that shaped the Saldanian orogeny will be presented.

The excursion will travel through much of the beautiful Swartland wine region and will also take the opportunity to sample local wines and delicacies. As an added attraction the trip will also take place during the renowned West Coast wildflower season, and there will be lots of opportunities to see and photograph beautiful flower-blanketed landscapes. 

Field Trip Leaders: Gary Stevens & John Clemens of Stellenbosch University                       
Start/End: Cape Town International Convention Centre
Departs: 08:30 AM
Dates: 2 days, Friday 26^th to Saturday 27^thAugust 2016                                                         
Price: R3300 per person with single supplement R980 per person

Info from Trip Leader

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