Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Encyclopedia
Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located in Free State
, Republic of South Africa
, near the Lesotho
border
. It covers an area of 340 km² (131.3 mi²). The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued deeply eroded
sandstone
cliff
s and outcrop
s, especially the Brandwag rock. Another feature of the area is the numerous caves and shelters displaying San
rock paintings
. Wildlife featured at the park includes mongooses, eland, zebras, and over 100 bird species. It is the Free State's only national park, and is more famous for the beauty of its landscape than for its wildlife. Numerous paleontology finds have been made in the park including dinosaur eggs and skeletons.
In 1963, 47.92 square kilometres (11,840 acres) were proclaimed as a national park
, specifically to preserve the scenic beauty of the area. In 1981 the park was enlarged to 62.41 km² (15,420 acres) and in 1988 it was enlarged to 116.33 km² (28,746 acres). In 2004 it was announced that the park would be joined with the neighbouring QwaQwa National Park
. The amalgamation of QwaQwa National Park was completed in 2007, increasing the park's area to 340 km² (84,016 acres).
The park is 320 km (198.8 mi) from Johannesburg
and is close to the villages of Clarens and Kestell
, in the upper regions of the Little Caledon River
. The park is situated in the Rooiberge of the eastern Free State, in the foothills of the Maluti
Mountains. The Caledon River forms the southern boundary of the park as well as the border between the Free State and Lesotho. The highest peak in the park (and also in the Free State) is Ribbokkop at 2,829 m (9,281 ft).
The park is located in the eastern highveld
region of South Africa, and experiences a dry sunny climate from June to August. It has showers, hails and thunderstorms between October and April. It has thick snowfalls in the winter. The park has a relatively high rainfall of 800 mm (30 inches) per year.
grassland
flora
. It has more than fifty grass species and a large variety of bulbs and herbs. Each of these species has its own flowering time, meaning that veld flowers can be seen throughout the summer. The park also has Afromontane
forests and high-altitude Austro-Afro Alpine Grassland, which is scarce in South Africa. The ouhout Leucosidea sericea, an evergreen
species, is the most common tree in the park. Ouhout is a favourite habitat of beetle
s and 117 species occur on these trees in the park. The Lombardi poplar
s and weeping willow
s in the park are introduced species
, but are kept because of their cultural and historic connection with the eastern Free State. Other exotic species in the park, for example wattle
and bluegum, are systematically eradicated.
into the park, the sungazer lizard
and water mongoose
were reintroduced. Twelve species of mice, ten species of carnivores, and eight antelope species have been recorded in the park. The Grey rhebuck and mountain reedbuck
were present when the park was established. Eland
, blesbok
, black wildebeest
, springbok, oribi
, and Burchell's zebra
were also introduced.
Approximately 140 bird species have been identified in the park, including the rare Bearded Vulture and the endangered Cape Vulture
and Bald Ibis. Seven snake species, including the puff adder
, mountain adder
, and rinkhals are found in the park.
geological history. The sandstone formations
in the park form the upper part of the Karoo Supergroup
. These formations were deposited
during a period of aeolian deposition towards the end of the Triassic Period. At the time of deposition the climate
of the area the park covers was becoming progressively drier until arid desert conditions set in, resulting in a land of dunes and sandy desert, with occasional scattered oases. The deposition of the sandstones ended when lava
flowed out over the desert 190 million years ago.
The following sequence of geological formations are visible in the park (starting from the bottom): the Molteno Formation, Elliott Formation, Clarens Formation, and the Drakensberg Formation. The yellow-brown Golden Gate and Brandwag cliffs are made up of the Clarens formation. The layers in this formation are 140 to 160 metres (460 to 520 ft) thick. The Drakensberg formation comprises the basalt
ic lava that flowed over the desert. It forms the mountain summits in the park. On Ribbokkop it is 600 meters (2000 ft) thick. The Elliot Formation is a red mudstone
where many dinosaur fossils have been found.
The oldest dinosaur embryo
s ever discovered were found in the park in 1978. The eggs were from the Triassic Period (220 to 195 million years ago) and had fossilised foetal skeletons of Massospondylus
, a prosauropod dinosaur. More examples of these eggs have since been found in the park. Other fossils found in the park include those of advanced cynodont
ia (canine toothed animals), small thecodont
ia (animals with teeth set firmly in the jaw), bird-like and crocodile-like dinosaurs.
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
, Republic of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, near the Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
. It covers an area of 340 km² (131.3 mi²). The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued deeply eroded
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s and outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
s, especially the Brandwag rock. Another feature of the area is the numerous caves and shelters displaying San
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
rock paintings
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
. Wildlife featured at the park includes mongooses, eland, zebras, and over 100 bird species. It is the Free State's only national park, and is more famous for the beauty of its landscape than for its wildlife. Numerous paleontology finds have been made in the park including dinosaur eggs and skeletons.
Geography and climate
"Golden Gate" refers to the sandstone cliffs that are found on either side of the valley at the Golden Gate dam. In 1875, a farmer called J.N.R. van Reenen and his wife stopped here as they travelled to their new farm in Vuurland. He named the location "Golden Gate" when he saw the last rays of the setting sun fall on the cliffs.In 1963, 47.92 square kilometres (11,840 acres) were proclaimed as a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
, specifically to preserve the scenic beauty of the area. In 1981 the park was enlarged to 62.41 km² (15,420 acres) and in 1988 it was enlarged to 116.33 km² (28,746 acres). In 2004 it was announced that the park would be joined with the neighbouring QwaQwa National Park
QwaQwa National Park
QwaQwa National Park was a National Park of the former Bantustan of QwaQwa in South Africa that was added to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in 1994, when it became part of the Free State province.- Wildlife :...
. The amalgamation of QwaQwa National Park was completed in 2007, increasing the park's area to 340 km² (84,016 acres).
The park is 320 km (198.8 mi) from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and is close to the villages of Clarens and Kestell
Kestell
Kestell is a small maize farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. The town was established in 1905 by Reverend J. D. Kestell only 20 km southeast from the site of the Second Boer War Battle of Groenkop. The battle took place on December 25, 1901 when General Christiaan De Wet...
, in the upper regions of the Little Caledon River
Caledon River
The Caledon River is located in south-east Africa, rising in the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho. Origin in the former bantustan of QwaQwa, near the border with Lesotho, southwest of Witsieshoek. It then flows south-west, marking the border with South Africa and Lesotho before entering South...
. The park is situated in the Rooiberge of the eastern Free State, in the foothills of the Maluti
Maluti
Maluti is a small town near Shikaripara in Dumka District of Jharkhand, India. The place has 72 old temples. It was built under the Baj Basanta dynasty. The 72 temples are edifices to the kings of the Pala Dynasty. They portray various scenes from Hindu mythology including the Ramayana and the...
Mountains. The Caledon River forms the southern boundary of the park as well as the border between the Free State and Lesotho. The highest peak in the park (and also in the Free State) is Ribbokkop at 2,829 m (9,281 ft).
The park is located in the eastern highveld
Highveld
The Highveld is a high plateau region of inland South Africa which is largely home to the largest metropolitan area in the country, the Gauteng City Region, which accounts for one-third of South Africa's population.-Location and description:...
region of South Africa, and experiences a dry sunny climate from June to August. It has showers, hails and thunderstorms between October and April. It has thick snowfalls in the winter. The park has a relatively high rainfall of 800 mm (30 inches) per year.
Vegetation
The park is an area of rich highveld and montaneMontane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
. It has more than fifty grass species and a large variety of bulbs and herbs. Each of these species has its own flowering time, meaning that veld flowers can be seen throughout the summer. The park also has Afromontane
Afromontane
Afromontane is a term used to describe the Afrotropic subregion and its plant and animal species common to the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula...
forests and high-altitude Austro-Afro Alpine Grassland, which is scarce in South Africa. The ouhout Leucosidea sericea, an evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
species, is the most common tree in the park. Ouhout is a favourite habitat of beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s and 117 species occur on these trees in the park. The Lombardi poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
s and weeping willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
s in the park are introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, but are kept because of their cultural and historic connection with the eastern Free State. Other exotic species in the park, for example wattle
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
and bluegum, are systematically eradicated.
Wildlife
Instead of reintroducing one of the "Big Five"Big Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
into the park, the sungazer lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
and water mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
were reintroduced. Twelve species of mice, ten species of carnivores, and eight antelope species have been recorded in the park. The Grey rhebuck and mountain reedbuck
Reedbuck
Reedbuck is a common name for African antelopes from the genus Redunca. These species are:* Southern Reedbuck, Redunca arundinum* Mountain Reedbuck, Redunca fulvorufula* Bohor Reedbuck, Redunca redunca...
were present when the park was established. Eland
Common Eland
The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
, blesbok
Blesbok
The Blesbok or Blesbuck is an antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead. Its white face is the origin of its name, because bles is the Afrikaans word for bald...
, black wildebeest
Black Wildebeest
The Black Wildebeest or White-tailed Gnu is one of two wildebeest species. The natural populations of this species, endemic to the southern part of Africa, have been almost completely exterminated, but the species has been reintroduced widely, both in private areas and nature reserves throughout...
, springbok, oribi
Oribi
Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
, and Burchell's zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
were also introduced.
Approximately 140 bird species have been identified in the park, including the rare Bearded Vulture and the endangered Cape Vulture
Cape Vulture
The Cape Griffon or Cape Vulture , also known as Kolbe's Vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is endemic to southern Africa, and is found mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and in some parts of northern Namibia...
and Bald Ibis. Seven snake species, including the puff adder
Bitis arietans
Bitis arietans is a venomous viper species found in savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rain forest regions. It is responsible for causing the most fatalities in Africa owing to various factors, such as its wide distribution and...
, mountain adder
Bitis atropos
Bitis atropos is a venomous viper species found only in mountainous regions in southern Africa. A small species. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description:...
, and rinkhals are found in the park.
Geology and palaeontology
The geology of the park provides very visual "textbook" examples of Southern Africa'sSouthern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
geological history. The sandstone formations
Geologic formation
A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties...
in the park form the upper part of the Karoo Supergroup
Karoo Supergroup
The Karoo Supergroup is the largest stratigraphic unit in Southern Africa, covering almost two thirds of the present land surface, including central Cape Province, almost all of Orange Free State, western Natal, much of south-east Transvaal, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi...
. These formations were deposited
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
during a period of aeolian deposition towards the end of the Triassic Period. At the time of deposition the climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of the area the park covers was becoming progressively drier until arid desert conditions set in, resulting in a land of dunes and sandy desert, with occasional scattered oases. The deposition of the sandstones ended when lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flowed out over the desert 190 million years ago.
The following sequence of geological formations are visible in the park (starting from the bottom): the Molteno Formation, Elliott Formation, Clarens Formation, and the Drakensberg Formation. The yellow-brown Golden Gate and Brandwag cliffs are made up of the Clarens formation. The layers in this formation are 140 to 160 metres (460 to 520 ft) thick. The Drakensberg formation comprises the basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic lava that flowed over the desert. It forms the mountain summits in the park. On Ribbokkop it is 600 meters (2000 ft) thick. The Elliot Formation is a red mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
where many dinosaur fossils have been found.
The oldest dinosaur embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
s ever discovered were found in the park in 1978. The eggs were from the Triassic Period (220 to 195 million years ago) and had fossilised foetal skeletons of Massospondylus
Massospondylus
Massospondylus and ) is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period . It was described by Sir Richard Owen in 1854 from remains found in South Africa, and is thus one of the first dinosaurs to have been named...
, a prosauropod dinosaur. More examples of these eggs have since been found in the park. Other fossils found in the park include those of advanced cynodont
Cynodont
Cynodontia or cynodonts are a taxon of therapsids which first appeared in the Late Permian and were eventually distributed throughout all seven continents by the Early Triassic . This clade includes modern mammals and their extinct close relatives. They were one of the most diverse groups of...
ia (canine toothed animals), small thecodont
Thecodont
Thecodont , now considered an obsolete term, was formerly used to describe a diverse range of early archosaurs that first appeared in the Latest Permian and flourished until the end of the Triassic period...
ia (animals with teeth set firmly in the jaw), bird-like and crocodile-like dinosaurs.