A geological wonderland, Namaqualand can be split into six geographic regions, each with its own distinctive landscape and climate. These regions are as follows:
• The south region is the quartz strewn Knersvlakte (a name which is derived from the crunch ("kners") of wheels crossing the quartz gravel-coated plains ("vlakte"));
• The central region is made up of intrusive granite hills and domes known as the Hardeveld ("Hard veld");
• Within the central region is the imposing massif of the Kamiesberg uplands;
• To the west along the coast lies a vast sandy plain known as the Sandveld;
• To the north-west is the Richtersveld, a haunting mountain desert with arid plains;
• Lastly, to the east, we have the Bushmanland, a flat arid sandy expanse interspersed with mountains in the north, through which the proto-Orange River flowed some 100 million years ago.
Namaqualand , a succulent desert, has the world's most awe-inspiring floral display in August and September every year. It is also very rich in human history spanning some 12,000 years, contains some of the world's most unique geological formations, predating the Gondwana split by billions of years, and holds some of the world's greatest mineral wealth.
2,600 million years ago
Namaqualand started forming some 2,600 million years ago with the Rosentjie ("Raisin") Mountains as volcanoes. Some 1,000 to 1,200 million years ago granites intruded the first layers of sediments covering vast areas of Namaqualand known today as the Namaqualand Metamorphic Province .
900 million years ago
About 900 million years ago a new cycle of sedimentation started due to great rifting, creating a basin. This basin became a massive inland sea. This sea had as its eastern shores the central Richtersveld, the Namaqualand escarpment and the eastern reaches of the Knersvlakte.
Between 900 to 500 million years ago
Over the next 400 million years, layers of sedimentation from the escarpment deposited itself in this inland sea. Later, various phases of shifting, folding and shearing of these layered deposits took place forming the Richtersveld Mountains . Much of this layered sedimentation is evident in the Richtersveld. The most dramatic of these layered deposits are found in the Stinkfontein ("Smelly fountain") Mountains and Vandersterr Mountains as quartzitic rocks. In the upper reaches of the Stinkfontein Mountains , especially where the Stinkfontein Mountains join the Rosentjie and Vandersterr Mountains , conglomerated quartzite is visible, evidence of a very large river during an exceptionally wet period. The sand over millions of years was metamorphosed in sand stone and later again in quartz. This ancient riverbed was deformed through shifting, folding and intrusive rocks, creating endless dramatic folds and valleys evident today as the Stinkfontein Mountains .
120 million years ago
A new cycle affecting Namaqualand started some 120 million years ago when volcanoes erupted throughout central South Africa , many of which were the rich diamond bearing Kimberlite pipes whose riches were deposited along the Namaqualand coast. The proto Orange River flowed directly west towards the Namaqualand escarpment forming the many dry saltpans in the Bushmanland during a very humid period in South Africa . While this was taking place, Gondwanaland was splitting up and the South American Plate was moving away from its African counterpart. The proto-Orange flowed into the sea near Vredendal where the Knersvlakte became a massive delta.
80 million years ago
Later, some 80 million years ago, minor upliftment occurred to the north east of the Knersvlakte diverting the proto-Orange northwards. This created a new river, which carved its course through the Bushmanland that is now known as the Koa River Valley . The Koa River joined the current Orange River at Henkries and continued west depositing the majority of the inland wealth and sediment in the Atlantic Ocean . Evidence of this is at the Henkries mouth in the Orange River , where three separate terraces have to be traversed as you climb out of the Orange / Koa River Valley .
40 million years ago
Later, about 40 million years ago, minor upliftment occurred in the Prieska area, once again diverting the Orange River into its current river system. The Kalahari, though a young desert, was originally very wet and drained westwards via the Molopo River , which drained much of Botswana and Eastern Namibia creating much of the middle Orange River valley we know today. The current Orange River joins the Molopo River a few kilometers west of the Augrabies Falls .
Between 40 to 25 million years ago
Between 40 to 25 million years ago saw the development of the first sand sea in the central Namib Desert , making it the oldest desert in the world. Much of Namaqualand has remained the same for the last 40 million years, although wet and dry cycles have come and gone.
5 million years ago
Some 5 million years ago, the scene was set for the current cycle of warm and cold currents in the Atlantic Ocean , and the Benguela current was born.
