This trip has been SOLD OUT.

The first part of the excursion is focussed on the well exposed northeastern limb of the Bushveld Complex with its spectacular layered igneous rock assemblage which includes pyroxenite, norite, anorthosite and gabbro. These rocks host layers of chromitite, platiniferous pyroxenite and vanadiferous titano magnetites. The layers are traceable for hundreds of kilometres around the Bushveld Complex and contain the world’s largest reserves of chromium, platinum and vanadium. Exposures of all of the above together with an exposure of one of the famous hortonolite dunite pipes on which the first platinum mining took place in the late nineteen twenties, will be viewed.

The second part of the excursion traverses the eastern highlands and eastern escarpment edge. Quartzite and shale horizons of the Pretoria group, intruded by numerous diabase sills, form the highlands, while resistant, quartzite- dominated formations of the Wolkberg and Black Reef formations form the scenic escarpment edge. These formations are overlain by dolomite with well developed stromatolite structures in many places. Several tourist caves with dripstone formations, calcareous tuffa deposits, both active and extinct, are characteristic of   the dolomite terrain. Headward erosion of several rivers including, from south to north the Crocodile, Sabie and Blyde  rivers and their tributaries have incised the escarpment region by the process of headward erosion. This has given rise to a range of scenic waterfalls at nick points on harder rock formations.  Potholes are spectacularly developed and have clearly been a major force in the incision of hard rock formations to initiate gorge formation as in the case of Bourke’s Luck potholes and the spectacular Blyde River Canyon.

The third part of this trip visits the central and southern portions of the world famous Kruger National Park which will be traversed and the major rock formations and geomorphological features examined at a number of localities. Rock types in the Archaean basement granitic terrain range from granite inselbergs in southern Kruger, granitic migmatites, diabase dykes and the Timbavati gabbro intrusion.  Karoo basaltic lava plains underlie much of eastern Kruger and are overlain by rhyolite, the latter forming the Lebombo range along the Mozambique border.  As part of the drive through Kruger the distinctive soil types and ecozones developed on different rock types will be highlighted. As part of the above the chances of seeing the “Big Five” comprising elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard, together with a large range of other animals in this unique national park, are excellent. A feature of the excursion will be the opportunity to do short geological traverses from the vehicles.

Field Trip Leader: Morris Viljoen                                                                     
Start: Sandton Convention Centre Johannesburg           
End: Peermont Mondior Hotel, next to OR Tambo Airport Johannesburg
Departs: 08:30 AM
Dates: 7 days, Tuesday 6^th to Monday 12^th September 2016                  
Price: R 18 500 per person sharing with single supplement of R 4 150 per person

Download trip route

View more information