The Geology of Wildcliff

Wildcliff lies in the Langeberg (long mountain) range, which forms part of the Cape Fold Belt stretching from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. This range dates back about 300 million years.

The Cape Fold Belt
The Cape Fold Belt is the folded sedimentary sequence of rocks in the south-western corner of South Africa. The rocks are generally sandstones and shales, with shales forming the valleys and the erosion resistant sandstones forming the parallel mountain ranges, reaching a maximum height at Seweweekspoortpiek (Afrikaans: Seven Weeks Defile Peak) at 2325m.

The rocks were laid down as sediments in a coastal delta environment upon the Malmesbury unconformity in the Ordovician (450ma) period, with the folding subsequently occurring in the Carboniferous and Permian periods during the merging of the supercontinent Pangaea. Even though the mountains are very old by Andean and Alpine standards, they remain steep and rugged, owing to the resistant nature of the quartzitic sandstones of the Table Mountain Group. The famous Table Mountain is comprised of hard rocks of the Peninsula Formation of the Table Mountain Group. The geographic range of the Cape Fold Belt is from Cape Town in the west and the Cederberg Mountains in the north-west to Port Elizabeth in the east.

The mountains, although mediocre in height by world standards, remain extremely majestic and dramatic to the eye. This is due in part to numerous geological factors; The ranges usually have few to no foothills and rise directly from the valley floor. The mountain's base is usually at or near sea-level. The ranges are generally steep and rugged, due to their quarzitic sandstone geology making them very resistant to weathering.

The open plains of the Little Karoo border the north of the mountain range, while to the south lies the Agulhas Plain and the Overberg wheatbelt.

On the southern slopes of the range mountain fynbos can be found, with Afromontane forest patches found in deep secluded gorges, while on the drier northern slopes karroid scrub is found.

There are three nature conservation areas along the range: the Marloth Nature Reserve, the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area and the Garcia State Forest. Wildcliff adjoins the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area, a UNESCO World Heritage site.