Sea Point contact zone
The Sea Point contact zone is a geologic boundary where the Malmesbury Group was intruded by molten granite, and can be seen at Sea Point.[1] It extends over a width of about 150 meters.[2] The Sea Point contact was first described in 1818 by the British naturalist Clark Abel.[2][3] It was later made famous by Charles Darwin during his voyage of scientific discovery on H.M.S. Beagle.[2][3][4]
Here, slivers of dark coloured Malmesbury rocks, altered by intense heat are intermingled and folded with the pale coloured intrusive granite to form a complex mixed rock. Large feldspar crystals occur in both the granite and dark hornfels layers.[3]
Though initially intruded at great depth, prolonged erosion eventually exposed the granite at the surface and it and what remains of the similarly eroded Malmesbury group now form a basement upon which younger sedimentary rocks of the Table Mountain Group were deposited.[5]
The Sea Point contact zone was declared a national monument in 1953.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Rowan, Chris. "Capetonian Geology: the Seapoint contact | Highly Allochthonous".
- ^ a b c d "Meandering along the Sea Point Promenade | The Heritage Portal". www.theheritageportal.co.za.
- ^ a b c Walker, Tas (June 23, 2012). "Famous contact at Sea Point, South Africa, reveals rapid granite emplacement". Biblical Geology.
- ^ "History of Sea Point, Western Cape, South Africa". southafrica.co.za.
- ^ Compton, John S. (2004). The Rocks & Mountains of Cape Town. Cape Town: Double Story. ISBN 978-1-919930-70-1.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Sea Point contact zone at Wikimedia Commons
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