Vagabonds tramping through Geology Africa The Country of South Africa Session 6 The Orange and Vaal Rivers Focus on the Destruction of Gondwana Egypt and.

Vagabonds tramping through Geology Africa

The Country of South Africa

Session 6

The Orange and Vaal Rivers

Focus on the Destruction of Gondwana

Egypt and South Africa: why so different?

Geology in the News

More on the Bakkan Oil Shale from the Wall Street Journal, Feb. 26. 1010

Bakkan oil more difficult of extract than gas from the Barnett Shale

Bakkan estimated reserves 4.5 rather than 20 + billion barrels

Bakkan economics requires $50.00/bbl rather then $16.00/bbl

Now to the huge oil discovery in the deep Atlantic of Brazil

Email commentary:“Obama under writes offshore oil drilling in Brazil”signed an executive order to loan $2 billion of our taxpayers dollars

The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole purpose and use of China and NOT THE USA!

We have absolutely no gain from this transaction whatsoever!

the largest individual stockholder of this Brazilian Oil Company and who would benefit most from this? It is American BILLIONAIRE, George Soros, who was one of President Obama's most generous financial supporter during his campaign.

Massive deep-water oil find in Brazil challenges technology

http://www.rbpierce.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78:us-promotes-offshore-drilling-in-brazil&catid=35:uncategorized&Itemid=54

Pundits recently criticized the Obama administration for a $2 billion deal with Petrobras, the oil giant owned by the Brazilian government.  The money will help finance oil exploration... off the coast of Brazil.  You think the real truth about the deal couldn't be stranger than the truth we see on the face of it?  Think again.The deal is part of a financing package arranged The deal is part of a financing package arranged by the Export-Import Bank of the United Statesby the Export-Import Bank of the United States, an arm of the federal government.  it's not a gift as has been erroneously reported and repeated.  It is financing provided to purchase equipment It is financing provided to purchase equipment and services from American companies that will and services from American companies that will help Brazil find oil off their coasthelp Brazil find oil off their coast

Back to southern Africa and the country of South Africa

Today, three questions:1. Did the red, iron color of the sand dunes of Namibia come

from the Orange River drainage system?

2. Why did South Africa fail to develop an early civilization like its mirror image, Egypt?

South Africa is in the Temperate climate zoneIt has a significant river drainage all in the Temperate ZoneIt is about the same distance as Egypt from the Cradle of the advent of humansIt has copper and tin which Egypt does not haveIt has iron and coal while Egypt has only iron

3. Can South Africa become a world “power” since it seems to have all the required natural resources?

Egypt and South Africa

NileRiver

OrangeRiver

Two Lands

Two RiversTwo Oceans

TropicsWhat’s different between the Nile and the Orange rivers?

What’s different between the Nile and the Orange rivers?

Low land withflood plain

High land with no flood plain

Gateway to the whole world!

End of the world!

A melting pot of peoples

Isolated hill country people

Natural Resources

Flood plainIron

Copper & TinIron & CoalMany other metals

Are the resources of South Africa sufficient to build a major player on the world stage?

Critical Natural Resources Southern Africa

The Central Rift Fault AreaStudy Area #1

Central Rift Fault Area; Study Area 1 Summary

1. Pre-Cambrian: grazing2. Centered in Tanzania3. Cu and Sn ores4. headwaters of Nile, Congo, and Zambezi rivers5. no major flood plains

Conclusions:Area unfavorable for early

major civilizationsNo obvious modern expectations

Next: Study Area # 2Focus: South Africa

The Highlands of Southern Africa

South Africa

Tropics

Study Area #2

The regional geological location of the country of South Africa

Topography of SouthernAfrica

ZaireBasin

Study Area #2

South Africa

The Regional Setting of the Country of South Africa

A basin much older than others in study area #2

Karoo Basin

The Karoo Basin: the drainage area of the Orange and Vaal rivers

Rivers of Africa

NigerRiver

NileRiver

CongoRiver

ZambeziRiver

LimpopoRiver

Orange-Vaalrivers

Drainage Area: Orange & Vaal Rivers

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470A/AFRICA.pdf

Pre

-Cam

bri

anY

ou

ng

erR

ock

s Drainage Area: Orange & Vaal Rivers

Tanzania

Botswana

KarooBasin

Cubango River

Zambezi River

Limpopo River

Orange River

The Rivers of Area #2

Next: South Africa: Its Rivers, Geology, & Resources

Vaal River

KarooBasin

Rivers of South Africa

River drainage areas are outlined in white

LimpopoRiver

Karoo Basin

Do any of these rivers provide favorable areas for farming?

Orange River drainage area

Let’s look at the geology of the rocks of the Karoo Basin & see what type of soils are being produced by weathering

Geologic Map of South Africa

Geologic Map close-up

Pre-Cambria

n

Permian

Triassi

c

Mz

Igneous

South Africa: Geologic Map & Two Major Rivers

Vaal

River

Orange River

Devonian Sil-Ord

Pre-C

amb

rian

Folded Mountains

Pre

-Cam

bri

an T

ime

3.4

Bill

ion

yea

rs

GeologicTimeDiagram

“Po

st”-

Cam

bri

an

RocksIn theFoldedmountains

RocksIn theKarooBasin

Time of the break-up of Pangea

Sandstone

Shale

Geologic Rock Types in the Karoo Basin

Now the subdivisions of the rocks comprising the Karoo Basin

Pre-Cambria

n

Volcanic lavas

Now a North – South Cross Section across the Karoo Basin

RiverDebris

Lavas

Lavas

River S

ource

Names of Karoo Basin Rocks

Jurassic lavas 200 mm years old

15,

00

0 fe

et

Karoo Basin

Debris from a major river

In Permian & Triassic time

Deformation hereand lava flows heredocument continental break-up in Triassic and Jurassic time

Another view of the deformation of the south side of the Karoo Basin

D LCole - Inversion Tectonics of the Cape Fold Belt, Karoo and …, 1992 - books.google.comInversion Tectonics of the Cape Fold Belt,

Stormberg Group (including basalts)Beaufort Gp = terrestrialEcca Gp =Dwyka Gp = glacial marineCape Super Gp = late Ord to Carb

Karoo Basin

Basin rocks are folded and crushed on south side

When and how was this deformation done?

Karoo Basin Topography

Karoo Basin

Orange River

Karoo Basin: 250 mm year old sedimentary rocks remnants of old geosyncline river fill from ancestral Limpopo River? old geosyncline crushed & folded Orange-Vaal rivers formed basin uplifted by “rift” action? Orange river entrenched

Karoo Basin

The Continental Drift History of the Karoo Basin

The continental drift history of the Karoo Basin

http://www.scotese.com

A closer look

The continental drift historyof the Karoo Basin: 306 MYC

http://www.scotese.com

Africa

Shallow water ocean

Next: 50 million years later

SouthAmerica

Southern Africa about to collide with southern South America

The continental drift history of the Karoo Basin

http://www.scotese.com

Africa now all land area

And 25 million years later

Africa now part of super continent Pangea

The Continental Drift History of the Karoo Basin

Africa

Remember the Karoo Basin?

After http://www.scotese.com

A closer look

Karoo Basin

Early Triassic Time: 237 mm years ago

Africa

http://www.scotese.com

A closer look

Africa

The Continental Drift Historyof the Karoo Basin: 237 MYC

KarooBasin

And 40 million years later

Drakensberg lavasAfter http://www.scotese.com

The Continental Drift History of the Karoo Basin

A closer look

Drakensberg lavas

After http://www.scotese.com

The Continental drift historyof the Karoo Basin: 195 MYC

Africa beginning to break apart from South America and Antarctica

Karoo Basin deformed

40 million years later

http://www.scotese.com

The continental drift history of the Karoo Basin

The African break apart from South America and Antarctica continues and Africa rotates toward the equator where is lies today

60 million years later

http://www.scotese.com

The Continental Drift History of the Karoo Basin

The breakup and the beginning of the Atlantic Ocean

And 45 million years later

http://www.scotese.com

The Continental Rift History of the Karoo Basin

Central Africa on the equator

And 35 million years later

http://www.scotese.com

The Continental Drift History of the Karoo Basin

Central Africa on the equatorUplift of Rift Area and Namibia

Last, the recent ice age

http://www.scotese.com

The continental drift history of the Karoo Basin

The beginning of written human history

Back to the Karoo Basin, the Orange River, and the country of South Africa

OrangeRiver

VaalRiver

The Natural Resources of South Africa

Focus on the river resources

Temperate Zone

Grazing

Whea

t

Corn

Orange River

Vaal River

South Africa: Orange/Vaal River Flood Plain Farming

Flood PlainFarming area

Flood Plain Farming up close

Vaal R

iver

Vaal River:Flood Plain Farming

Mouth of the Orange River

Flood Plain at Mouth of Orange River No farming

Farming East of Cape Town

Farming East of Cape Town

Temperate Zone

Grazing

Whea

t

Corn

Junction of the Vaal and Orange Rivers

Source of the iron in the sand dunes of Namibia?