After all the trouble I have had with the house I bought (spoiler alert: there's more!), people have been saying "this had better be worth it". I still think it is, so without further ado, some pictures taken on and around the property:
These rocks are some of the oldest on the planet, around 2.6 billion years old and were formed before there was life on earth from deposition of silt, sand and pebbles at the estuary of an inland sea.
You can see distinct layers of pebbles and finer materials in some of the rocks and because they are made up of a variety of different materials and they are categorised as conglomerates. Some of the rocks are quartzite, formed from silica (sand) and some are shale, formed from finer particles of layers of mud.
About 2 billion years ago, an asteroid estimated to be between 10 and 15 km in diameter struck the earth with the force of many atom bombs, punching a hole right through the planet's crust and had there been life on earth at the time, it would have caused a mass extinction. The crater is clearly visible on satellite photos of the area and the epicentre of the meteorite strike is 120 km away, in Vredefort, where there is a massive rock dome. The entire crater structure is 300km across. This meteorite strike is responsible for the discovery of gold and the establishment of the city of Johannesburg.
There are many ridges around the Johannesburg area and they were formed by shock waves that rippled through the earth's crust, turning horisontal layers over until some of them were orientated vertically. The shockwaves also account for the broken, shattered appearance of the rocks.
This ridge is the second-from-outermost in the series of ridges and the last one is where the gold reef was discovered. There has been a little prospecting on this ridge, but nothing much was found.
There is a timelessness to the rocks and there is a large outcrop on my property and I enjoy walking around on the public land next to my house and looking at the indigenous plants. There will be lots more photos of those to follow
Ok they are worth it. Wish I could see them in real life because it would look even better. I really like the first picture, there is something about it I just can't explain. I've just save the picture of it, hope you don't mind. 😸
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I don't mind at all. Enjoy!
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I can see your attraction i love rock as well, but this is fascinating.
Geologist must have a field day studying these rocks.
I can understand your sacrifice, who just wants a house in a plain area.
Is that lantanna growing in the first picture? surely not, if it is then the English must have spread it half way around the world. It's a pest here
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Because of the gold and other minerals found here, this is the most intensively studied geological area in the world although this was only conclusively identified as an impact crater in the 1990s.
Sadly, it is lantana, a huge pest in our country too. I can't get it out because it is growing in the rock so, much as I hate putting herbicide into the environment I am going to have to bite the bullet and cut it right back and put herbicide on the stems
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I have been back to the beginning when you first purchased this property. I just can’t believe how diificult it is to get anything done properly by utility company, electric etc.
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I couldn't believe that our municipal services are so mind-bogglingly bad either
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The rock formations are very unusual and by just seeing your work I know you will have some great photos in the future. Looking forward to seeing your before and after of the house. 🐓
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That will take a while, but you will in due course, now that my energies are freed up to actually fix things instead of wrestling with the municipality
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Very cool! I love how you bought the property due to the natural history and geological finds on the land! YOU ROCK 😛
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I am no geologist, but I do like rocks so I get it.
Good Luck with the place!
Good thing about rocks is you can start throwing some at the heads of those aggravating people you are having to deal with. :)
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Thank you! When are we going to see more of your rock stacking pictures?
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I will have to get on that. Water rose in the lake so there are fewer rocks to choose from right now. I'll see if I can dig up some older ones.
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Lovely photos, and awesome geology!
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Thanks!
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Yesss! This is awesome! I am a senior geology major (currently taking sedimentary stratigraphy) and I just have to say this is an awesome property! It's great to see that someone who respects and understands the geology of the area owns it. I can't wait to see more pictures in future posts!
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I will happily oblige you!
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Wow how interesting all that and how great to be able to observe them so closely.
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Beautiful place rich in geological history. I'd have a field day metal detecting for treasures around that place. Is there still fragments of the meteor left around or has it weathered away into nothing?
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The meteor itself went straight through the earth's crust. If there were pieces, they must be long gone
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Hard to even fathom that type of destruction. Congrats on getting the place b.t.w.
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The meteorite strike was a major catastrophe. If something like this happened again, it would cause global extinction.
Thank you, it was hell on wheels to get the place but it's been worth it
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I very much enjoyed your post, really interesting. I wonder if there was life before the asteroid collided. I'll stay tuned for more pictures, make sure to do some zooms !cheers
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and congratulations on your new acquisition by the way
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Thank you
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You bought a house and found a treasure my friend!
Those rocks have quite a story behind them. It looks stunning!
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I do treasure it!
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It is so cool to see some of the oldest rocks on the planet. Very nice pictures and interesting information. Thank you for sharing :)
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I love rocks. I live in plain place because the whole our country has no any mountains or rocks. But I would like to live in such place as in your photos. Every stone has its history and walking between them you can create images in your mind what it was thousands years ago... Stunning place, enjoy it.
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Where do you live that there are no mountains or rocks?
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Interesting. I liked your post, super good. Thanks for sharing, beautiful photos.
I invite you to visit my profile, follow me if you like, and vote for my last post, please. Greetings.
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wow... Nature at its peak. You bought a house and was gifted with this special gift from nature... Kudos
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Hi nikv
Nice photos and your story aboutthe 300 km crater is very interesting to me.
Thanks for sharing with me.
Have nice day.
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This is fascinating! You get to live there? I'd be in heaven, I also have a thing for rocks. I'm curious, have you found any significant tektites around? I picked up a couple of them up in Arizona this year, I'd never heard of them before. I wanted to break one in half to get a glimpse of the shiny black glass on the inside, but was told not to do that. I probably couldn't anyway, without a rock saw. If you do, would you mind taking a couple of pictures of them for us? I find them intriguing because they are literally "space rocks." Cheers!
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There aren't any tektites, this was all too long ago
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