The Rocks and Mountains of Cape Town

The Rocks and Mountains of Cape Town provides a clear and accessible guide to the spectacular exposures of rocks and mountains in the Cape Town area.
Compton, John S.
the-rocks-and-mountains-of-cape-town
978-1-919930-70-1
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Title: The Rocks and Mountains of Cape Town
Author: John S. Compton
Genre: Geological Guide
Publisher: Double Storey Books
Cape Town, South Africa 2004
ISBN: 9781919930701 / ISBN 978-1-919930-70-1
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 112 pages, numerous colour photos and illustrations

About: The Rocks and Mountains of Cape Town

Richly illustrated, The Rocks and Mountains of Cape Town provides a clear and accessible guide to the spectacular exposures of rocks and mountains in the Cape Town area. It is aimed at visitors and residents keen to understand how the scenic landscape surrounding them came about and what the rocks reveal of the recent as well as the 'deep' geological history of the area. In scope it covers both the large-scale features of the region as observed from space and particular features that can be seen up close on the ground. While the emphasis is on the greater Cape Town area, other popular areas of the Western Cape within easy access of Cape Town are also included. The book is intended to get us looking at and thinking about our environment from a new perspective so that whether on our daily commute to work or out for a hike, we may understand it better and derive greater pleasure from being part of it.

Content: The Rocks and Mountains of Cape Town

LOCATION MAP
Preface
Understanding the landscape
Mountains rising up from the Flats
The view from space
Ancient continental collisions and the African superswell
Rocks and their landforms
From rock to soil
Plants on the rocks
Reading the rocks
Cape Town's oldest rocks
Deep intrusion of Cape Granite magma
Uplift and erosion: deep earth exposed
An enormous pile of sand
The Cape Fold Belt: collision and deformation on a large scale
Pangaea breakup and the Great Escarpment
Youthful cover on a very old surface
Langebaan Lagoon
Summary of the rocks' story
Living on the rocks
Early Capetonians
Alien invasion and the loss of soiL water and biodiversity
Water from the rocks
Altered landscapes
Natural hazards
The future
Acknowledgements
Illustration Credits
Additional Readings
GEOLOGICAL MAP
Index