GEO1006S

Field trip
The Geology of the Western Cape

Tuesday 21st to Thursday 23rd September 2021

Leaders: Rosalie Tostevin and Robyn Pickering

Tutors: Sinelethu Hashibi
Guidebook compiled and edited by Rosalie Tostevin, based on previous guides
produced by Chris Harris, David Reid, John Rogers and John Compton
 Day 1 (Tuesday)
Meet at the southern Jammie shuttle stop at 08:00. Leave at 08:30 am
sharp.

We will travel from the Cape Peninsula to Saldanha Bay and examine rocks
ranging in age from Late Precambrian (Neoproterozoic) to Recent (forming
today). Figure 1.1 shows our route for day 1 and Figure 1.2 is a close up of the
localities in the W Coast National Park.

Fig 1.1: Google Maps image showing location of stops on Day 1. Yellow line = 20
Km
Fig 1.2: Close up map of the West Coast National Park, showing location of three
stops on day 1. Red line = 5 Km

Drive for 45 minutes. Parl at the On Huiie car park.

Stop 1.1 Bloubergstrand (09.15 –10.00)

Outcrops at Bloubergstrand consist of clastic sedimentary (greywacke and shale)
and volcanic rocks thought to have erupted in a submarine setting. The lavas are
very fine grained and considerably altered. Chemical analyses indicate a
composition between basalt and andesite. The more resistant nature of the lavas
is the reason for their continuation along strike out to sea, forming the reef
standing off Big Bay. The largest island causes the wave fronts to be refracted
until they collide in the lee of the obstruction, resulting in sand accumulating as a
tombolo linking the island to the beach.
Draw a sketch of the Tomobolo.

The volcanic rocks are exposed along the shore as well as on the offshore island
which can be accessed at low tide along the tombolo. Look for evidence that
can confirm a volcanic origin and list these in your notebooks.
You should be able to see small, rugby ball shaped amygdales, for example.

We will wander south along the shore for 100 m to see an example of some tight
folds with sharp angles in the Malmesbury shales. What type of folding is this?

Drive from stop 1.1 to 1.2 (1 hr 30 mins)

From Bloubergstrand we travel north to Melkbos then join the West Coast
highway (R27). At the road junction one can make out an ancient wave cut
platform at the foot of Blouberg to the south. Both the platform and Blouberg
consist of Malmesbury Group greywackes. This platform represents a +20 metre
high sea level stand (= a raised beach).

Platforms older than this one are found as high as 90 m above sea level in
resistant Precambrian basement gneiss at Kleinzee in Namaqualand and it is
likely that they also existed, like a staircase, on Blouberg, but have not been
preserved. The 20m highstand is the youngest of these platforms and is
therefore the best preserved.

Also visible during the journey north is the Atlantis dune field. These are
reversing dunes because their crests reverse seasonally as the summer
southeasters are replaced by the winter northwesters. Due to the stronger, dry
summer winds that come from the S–SE, net dune movement is to the N–NW.
Farther north the southerly winds are so predominant that the dunes do not
reverse. The semi-arid climate also favours the greater development of dunes
farther north. We also pass the Koeberg nuclear power station on the left side
which supplies 5% of South Africa’s electricity.

Stop 1.2 Kraal Bay (11:30–14:00)

We will start by eating our packed lunches on the beach (you should have lunch
with you!!) (30 mins).

We will then walk along the lagoon. This is best done barefoot or in footwear that
can withstand immersion in salt water! This wave-sheltered lagoon allows one to
be aware of tidal fluctuations, uncomplicated by wave action. It is also an ideal
area to see both modern processes and their ancient analogues side by side.

Low tide is at 10.17 am, and high tide is at 4.27 pm on Tueday Sept 21 st, 2021.
There will also be a full moon this evening, so this is a spring tide.

The traverse will commence from the parking area at the southern end of Kraal
Bay, and examine outcrops of the Pleistocene intertidal sediments of the Velddrif
Formation (look for burrows) overlain by calcite-cemented barrier dunes
(aeolianites) of the Pleistocene Langebaan Formation at its type section (Figure
1.3).

First we will look at the type section (the outcrop after which the formation was
named) of the Langebaan Formation (Tankard, 1976), which overlies the Velddrif
Formation. Observe the excellent evidence in the large-scale crossbedding for an
aeolian (windblown) origin for the Langebaan Formation (figure 1.4).

Sketch the crossbedding. Note that the diagonal laminae (the foresets) usually
flatten out towards the bottom to make a tangential contact with the underlying
bed. This is one of the best way-up criteria. This is important in the Cape Fold
Belt, where the Peninsula Formation is, in places, overturned. Remember that
only about 10% of the original height of the dunes is preserved in the rock record
i.e. the damp section below the water table.

Take some strike and dip measurements for the foresets. In what direction
were these paleo dunes moving?
Figure 1.3: Map of the West Coast national Park and surroundings. Klb =
Kraalbaai, Kfb = Kreeftebaai, BR = Black Rock, Gbk = Geelbek. Archaeological
sites: Sbf = Stofbergsfontein, Swh = Schrywershoek, K = Kreeftebaai, V =
Vlaeberg and DSM = Drie Susters Main. Taken from Compton and Franceschini,
2004, Quaternary Research.
 Figure 1.4: Graphical log through
the Velddrif and Langebaan
Formations of the Sandveld Group.
Taken from Roberts, 2008, ichnos.

What is the mineralogy? Are

these siliciclastic or chemical
sediments?

The Preekstoel (pulpit) is a stack,

originally linked to the main outcrop
by an arch. Sketch the Preekstoel,
identifying the Velddrif and
Langebaan Formations within it.

As we traverse along the edge of the supratidal (above normal high tide)
saltmarsh of the supratidal flats, note that this vegetation is relatively fragile, so
tread lightly. Find a supratidal pond and look for desiccation cracks, algal
mats and cottonwool-like filamentous algae.

Taste the water!

Note that the salinity of these ponds varies, from 2.1% in our wet season (winter)
to 5.8% in our dry season (summer), the salinity of seawater being 3.5%. Such
wide variations of salinity are hostile to many organisms and you will see a great
increase in biomass (number of organisms) in the intertidal zone, where salinity
is always close to 3.5%.

Drive for 20 minutes

Stop 1.3 Modern dunes with fossilised trees (14:20 – 16:00)

Our next stop is at the Geelbek dune field still within the West Coast National
Park. We will hike up into the dunes from the carpark, the track is very sandy and
steep in places. We will observe the modern dunes and make observations about
the sand.

How would you describe the sand?

In the bays between the dunes, there are patches of carbonate (called calcrete)
and even some fossil tree roots and stumps.

What do you think these represent? Was the environment the same as it
today when these trees were growing?

Drive for 20 minutes We will then drive through the northern exit to the
park. Note the old Dutch farmhouse at Geelbek and the large freshwater reeds
which indicate a spring seep in the area and a good source of water and hence
the location of the farm.

Stop 1.4 The Seeberg View point (16:20 – 17:00)

From Seeberg you can see the deep, subtidal channels of the lagoon, the
shallow intertidal sandflats and the Kraalbaai cliffs we examined on the opposite
side. Seeburg is just one of many granite hills with the granite composed of large,
megacrysts of feldspar and forming rounded, exfoliated topography. During early
periods of the Miocene and Pliocene the region was flooded by higher sea levels
and these granite hills formed offshore islands. The highly productive waters
resulted in the formation of large phosphate deposits which we will visit
tomorrow.

Drive for 25 minutes

We should arrive at our accomodation at Windstone Farm by 17:30. Dinner

will be provided later in the evening.
 Day 2
08:30 am sharp: You should be on the coach ready to leave with your backpack
and packed lunch (which will be provided).

Figure 2.1: Google maps view showing our stops for Day 2. You can see the top
of Langebaan lagoon, where we were yesterday, at the southern end of the map.
Yellow line = 5 Km

Drive for 30 minutes

From Windstone we will turn left and cross the main coast road (R45) and head
towards Vredenburg. We will pass through Vredenburg and head towards
Paternoster on the R399. After a few km we turn left onto a gravel road and drive
towards the coast. The road is quite rough and sandy at the end and we might
have to walk about 1km (depending on how brave the coach driver is feeling!)

Stop 2.1 Colenso Fault (09:00 – 10:00)

The Colenso Fault Zone is a large fault between the Tygerberg Terrane and the
Swartland Terrane. It comprises several discrete shear discontinuities cross-
cutting relatively undeformed granites of the Cape Granite Suite. It extends from
the town of Saldanha to Stellenbosch and separates the older S-type granites in
the Tygerberg Terrane from the younger I-Type granites of the Swartland Terrane.
It is ~150 km long and ~7km wide, but poorly exposed.

In this location, the fault zone is hosted by the the Trekoskraal Granite. This is
variably sheared and in places the granite seems to change gradually from
somewhat sheared granite into much darker cataclasite. In this area, the
cataclasites have identical major and trace element composition to the granites
which is consistent with the cataclasite being mechanically deformed granite.

Drive for 30 minutes

Return to the R399 and continue driving to Paternoster. Drive through the small
fishing village to the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve (it might be necessary to
stop and pay a fee to enter the reserve – we will cover this cost). Drive along the
gravel/sand road to the far end at the Tietiesbaii camp site.

Stop 2.2 Cape Columbine Big xenolith (10:30 – 12:30)

From the car park we will walk about 1 km southwards along the coast path.
Here we are close to the contact between the G3 and G4 granites. The G3
granite is coarse-grained and porphyritic whereas the G4 (Cape Columbine)
granite is a medium grained fairly equigranular granite. Both are so-called I-type
granites. We will examine a large (10 m diameter) xenolith of G3 granite within
the G4 granite. At many localities within the G4 granites, xenoliths of deformed
G3 granite occur that are commonly bounded highly foliated streaky cataclasite.
These xenoliths record deformation along the Colenso fault prior to the intrusion
of the G4 granite.

Along the way, we will stop at a beach to examine a contact between the
Langebaan cross-bedded sandstones and the granite.

At the end of this stop we will break for lunch.

Drive for 10 minutes.

Drive back towards Paternoster about 2 km and stop near the tented camp at
Soldatenbaai (‘The Beach Camp’) or Sparkly Bay on the northern part of the
Cape Columbine Reserve.

Stop 2.3 Sparkly Bay: layered granite and amphibolite dykes (12:40–13:20)

Here there are coast-parallel mafic (now amphibolite) dykes that cut the G3
granite that is less deformed than seen in the xenolith at the previous stop.

Low tide should be one hour later than yesterday, so will occur around 11.17 am.

At low tide, we should be able to hop across to see a zone of layering in the
granite in the outcrops towards the sea. The layering is rhythmic with the base of
each layer being richer in biotite and amphibole, which gradually becomes more
leucocratic before being overlain by the next layer. The thickness of each cycle
varies but is of the order of 10-15 cm.

Drive for 40 minutes

Stop 2.4 West Coast Fossil Park (14:00 – 17:00)
Marine sedimentary deposits within the Uyekraal Palaeovalley contain economic
quantities of phosphate, which were exploited by the Chemfos mining company
in a series of open pits. Very soon after mining had commenced in the 1950s it
was realised that the Tertiary - Quaternary sequence being quarried contained
abundant fossil remains of long extinct fauna that lived in a very different climate
to that currently prevailing. Research has continued after mining ceased,
culminating in the establishment of a Fossil Park, thereby allowing existing
collections to be efficiently curated on site, as well as providing the means to
continue excavation. Rehabilitation of the open pits by Chemfos has proceeded
in conjunction with the fossil investigations. The stop will include a tour of the
Fossil Park Visitor Centre, the excavation and rehabilitation sites throughout the
open pits, and finally examination of stratigraphic sections through the Uyekraal
palaeovalley sedimentary sequence. If we get time, we will also examine some
quaternary calcrete deposits, where we can see fossil snails and laminations

You will be given a lecture by the resident geologist, allowed to visit the museum,
and have a chance to see a fossil dig.

We should arrive back at our accomodation by 17:30. Dinner will be

provided later in the evening.
 Day 3
08:30 am sharp: You should be on the coach with your backpack and packed
lunch (which will be provided).

Figure 3.1: Google maps image showing our stops for day 3. Yellow bar = 50 Km

Drive for 20 minutes.

Stop 3.1 (08:50 – 09:20)

Mudflats of the Berg River Estuary just past the bridge at Velddrif
This area is the lowermost reaches of the Berg River which has its headwaters in
the Franschhoek Valley where the new dam was built. The river is strongly
influenced by the tidal bore from the sea and salt water intrudes as far as 60 km
inland particularly since they permanently opened the river to St Helena Bay.
Note the freshwater reeds growing in the river channel and on the banks. How
does this vegetation influence the type of sediment deposited?

Drive for 2:30 hrs.

We will stop for a quick bathroom break at the Piketberg services half-way.
Look West and note the dip of the Table Mountain Group. Observe the dip on
the other side of the valley, after we leave Piketberg services. What kind of
structure lies across this area?
Stop 3.2 Pakhuis Formation of the Table Mountain Group in Michell's Pass
(11:50 – 13:00)
Beware of traffic!
toilets available at the Tolhuis café for emergencies only (they may expect you
to purchase something in exchange).

After crossing the fertile soils of the deeply weathered Malmesbury Group on the
coastal plain we pass through the Tulbagh Pass and cut through the Cape Fold
Belt. We will look at an excellent outcrop just downhill of the Tolhuis. The
sandstones of the Ordovician Peninsula Formation, at the foot of the pass, are
overlain by dark gray glacial sediments (tillite) of the Ordovician Pakhuis
Formation (Figs 3.2 and 3.3).

Walk downhill to the roadcutting in the blue gray diamictite of the Ordovician
Pakhuis Formation and note the particle sizes (sorting), the shape and size of the
particles (clasts) that characterise the diamictite. What evidence would lead
you to suspect a glacial origin?

Return to the Tolhuis parking area and examine the overlying laminated
carbonaceous shales of the Ordovician Cedarberg Formation, which is rarely well
exposed in outcrop. These shales were deposited as muds below the wave-base
in an oxygen-poor marine setting (hence the preservation of carbon from organic
matter). Walk back to the road and look downhill to see an eroded anticline. Can
you identify the location of the Cedarberg Formation in this area?

Walk uphill to see sandstones of the Silurian Goudini Formation, in the railway
cutting, overlying the Cedarberg Formation. The Ordovician-Silurian boundary is
located just below the Goudini Formation.

At the end of this stop we will break for lunch.

Drive for 45 minutes.

Drive through Ceres and take the road to Citrusdal to the top of the Gydo Pass.

Stop 3.3 Gydo Pass shales (13:45 – 14:45)

The youngest formations of the Table Mountain Group are visible here to the
west (Fig. 3.4). The rugged outcrops of the appropriately named Skurweberg
Formation of Silurian-Devonian age, being overlain by the Devonian Rietvlei
Formation at the top of the Table Mountain Group. For convenience, the Goudini,
Skurweberg and Rietvlei Formations are also known as the Nardouw Subgroup.
In the past, this subgroup was termed the Upper Sandstone.

Overlying the Ordovician-Silurian-Early Devonian Table Mountain Group is a

succession of 6 shales and 5 sandstones of the Devonian Bokkeveld Group. In
the past these strata were simply named the 1st to 6th Shales and the 1st to 5th
Sandstones, but they all now have been designated as lithostratigraphic
formations. We shall focus on the oldest fossiliferous marine (prodeltaic) shales
of the Gydo Formation at its type section in Gydo Pass. For convenience, the 11
formations of the Bokkeveld Group have been subdivided into an older (lower)
Ceres Subgroup and a younger (upper) Bidouw Subgroup.

Examine fossiliferous prodeltaic shales (consisting of mud deposited just below

wave base off a series of deltas) of the Gydo Formation in the Devonian (410 to
375 m.y.) Bokkeveld Group.
Search for burrows, trilobites, brachiopods, crinoids, tentaculitids and
bivalves in the dark gray, carbonaceous shales.

Make neat sketches, with dimensions, of your best-preserved fossils, and

identify them as far as possible.

Note the presence of pyrite associated with some of the fossils, a sign of
reducing conditions in these organic-rich shales.

Drive for 45 minutes.

We will then head back towards Ceres and turn onto the R46.

The tarred R46 turns right (east) here along the base of a hill showing the
Bokkeveld-Witteberg transition. The Bokkeveld Group's Karoopoort Formation
shales are overlain by the Witteberg Group's Wagen Drift Formation shales, the
Blinkberg Formation sandstones (quartz arenites), the Swartruggens Formation
shales and the Witpoort Formation sandstones (with its reddish-weathering
Rooirand Member).

We will continue along the R355 and stop at a road cutting at the N end of the
Karoopoort, just before the pass opens out.

Stop 3.4 Karoopoort - Witteberg Group

The Devonian-Carboniferous Witteberg Group consists of a series of shallow-
marine shales and sandstones The palaeoenvironments range from deltaic
environments like those in the modern Mississippi Delta, to siliciclastic shoreline
environments like those of St Helena Bay with its barrier dunes and back-barrier
lagoons. Almost the entire Witteberg Group is visible in the mountains on the
east (right) side of the road.

At this stop we shall see fine-grained sandstones of the Witpoort Formation.

Compare this sandstone to the sandstones you have seen on Table
Mountain. Are any sedimentary structures visible?

Make an estimate of the dip and dip direction of these beds. Examine a
bedding plane surface which shows obvious linear features. These are known in
structural geology as lineations, and are useful in determining the sense of
movement of one bed relative to the next during deformation. What was the
direction of movement in this case?

At the next junction, we will take the left fork (the R355) for a few hundred metres
to a large boulder on the right of the road.

Stop 3.5 Dwyka Group

The previous rock units are here overlain by the Dwyka Group, which is found at
the base of the Karoo Supergroup. It has an extensive outcrop, both as far north
as Kimberley and as far east as the Ecca Pass, just north of Grahamstown.

Describe this rock in your notebooks, paying special attention to the nature,
size and distribution of the clasts. Are the large clasts matrix-supported or
clast-supported? What is the origin of this rock type?

Look at the bedrock in the vicinity of the boulder. Is this made of the same
material?

Drive for 1 hour We retrace our route back to Karoopoort and then take
the tar road (R56) eastwards to the National Road (N1) just south of Touws River.
On reaching the N1 we turn right and head south through Worcester to du Toits
Kloof Pass.

Stop at Rawsonville service station (15:45 – 16:15)

Here you will hand in your notebooks from the trip for grading. We will swap your
notebook for an ice cream or snack of your choosing!

Drive for 15 minutes

Stop 3.6 du Toit’s Kloof Pass (16:30 – 16:45)

Compressive forces from the south led to a period of mountain-building or
orogenesis in the Permian and Triassic periods. As a result, huge asymmetric
antiforms and synforms, with wavelengths of up to 20 km, were formed. Because
compression was from the south, these huge folds are overturned towards the
north i.e. the southern limbs of antiforms are right way up, whereas the northern
limbs are upside down (inverted). It is in this area that crossbedding is so useful
to determine the correct way up of a bed.

The pass cuts through the Table Mountain Group and the sequence visible at
Rawsonville is the same as seen at Mitchell's Pass. In Cogman's Kloof, the beds
are vertical, and in some places, overturned. In du Toits Kloof, the effects of
deformation are less evident, but spectacular cliffs of Peninsula Formation
quartzite are visible on both sides of the pass.

Drive back to UCT. We will aim to be back before 18:00, traffic permitting.