Sandstone Landforms of the Karoo Basin: Naturally Sculpted Rock

Abstract

South Africa boasts some of the most impressive sandstone landscapes and landforms in the world, and although these are widely distributed across South Africa, some of the most spectacular examples are associated with the Molteno, Elliot and Clarens Formations in the central region of South Africa. The prominence of sandstone in this region is primarily owing to palaeo-basin infilling during the late Carboniferous and a climate dominated by seasonal precipitation patterns, both now and in the past. Consequently, a range of weathering and erosion processes have operated at wide-ranging spatial scales upon the sandstone outcrops. The chapter describes prominent sandstone landscapes (plateaus, mesa-butte topography, scarplands, slopes) and landforms (e.g. ichnofossil structures, honeycombs, rock arches, rock doughnuts) of central South Africa and reflects on their associated cultural heritage and geoheritage linkages. For instance, almost all known San rock art sites are associated with sandstone, yet rapid weathering of such rock is jeopardizing the longevity of this cultural legacy.