Free Falling in the Midlands EarthCache
Free Falling in the Midlands
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One of South Africa's tourist drawcards since the days of Mark Twain sleeping over at the nearby Howick Fall Hotel. The Howick Falls are an interesting and picturesque location for a leg stretch on a day in the Midlands.
The 95m high falls are the result of the Umgeni River dropping over a thick sill of resistant dolerite. Howick was originally established as a fording place just above the falls along the main road to the interior. If you are feeling energetic, you can take a hike down into the gorge below to get a different perspective on the falls (the start of the trail is near the "Bush Golf" behind the Anglican church) -bonus acknowledgements and bragging rights are allowed in your log ;). The Ecca shales that underlie the dolerite are all covered by soil here. This dolerite sill is of the same vintage and ilk of the dolerites found in the Drakensberg and you will see many round dolerite boulders throughout KwaZulu Natal where the dolerite dykes are exposed and have weathered. This dolerite will weather to form a red coloured soil - so evident in much of South Africa.
Waterfalls form when a rivers flows over a resistant layer of rock and starts cutting into a nick point. The force of the water falling over the resistant layer forms a plunge pool below which continues the cutting action on both the resistant layer (moving it upstream slowly; and the layer below deepening the pool. The gorge below the falls will gradually grow longer (a good example is the Victoria Falls which has retreated many kilometres upstream over the years.
A number of prominent people have passed through Howick and gazed over the falls, including Cecil John Rhodes, Mark Twain (Samuel Clements), Paulo Kruger and HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Howick Falls is a waterfall in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The waterfall is approximately 95 meters in height (311 feet) and lies on the Umgeni River. The Zulu people called the falls KwaNogqaza, which means "Place of the Tall One". The falls were most likely first seen by European explorers in the early 1800s. However the kwaZulu Natal province has known human occupation for well over 30, 000 years and it is likely that it was a well known site prior to any western influence given the rich legend surrounding the area. Many people have been swept over the falls, especially in the pioneer days of the province, as some settlers thought the easiest place to cross the river was just above the falls. There have been a recorded 40 deaths surrounding Howick falls with the first recorded death occurring in 1851. Most of these have been recorded as suicides but accidents and murder have also been known to happen, contributing to if not maintaining the local legendary status of the falls. According to local legend the pool at the bottom of the falls is the residence of the Inkanyamba a giant serpent-like creature. According to lore only sangomas can safely approach the falls and then only to offer prayers and other acts of worship to the inkanyamba, ancestral spirits and the 'Great God'. Despite, or perhaps because of its chequered history kwaNogqaza has become a principle tourist attraction for the kwaZulu Natal midlands.
(Acknowledgements to Google.com and Geological Journeys.; Norman & Whitfield; 2006).
Types of Waterfalls:
Block: Water descends from a relatively wide stream or river and drops over a ledge forming what appears to be a "sheet" of water. Ideally, it is observably wider than it is tall.
Cascade : Water descends a series of rock steps. There may be separate waterfalls falling consecutively and in close proximity so generally they can be seen together.
Chute : A violent section of water that is forced through a narrow passage due to cliff walls or large rocks. Depending on the descent angle, they may be classified as rapids not a waterfall. Very common in canyons where the water is wall-to-wall.
Fan : Water falls through a relatively narrow crest and spreads out and becomes wider as it descends.
Horsetail : Descending water maintains some contact with bedrock.
Plunge: Water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface.
Punchbowl : Water falls through a constricted area and descends down into a pool of water. The water "punches" through and falls into a "bowl".
Parallel: When falls are side-by-side and fall similar to each other. There can be two or more falls and can be from the same watercourse or from more than one watercourse. Twin falls are also side-by-side but do not have to be similar in type.
Ribbon: Water descends in a narrow strip significantly taller than it is wide.
Talus : Water flowing over a chaotic mix (30 degree slope or greater) of rock debris on a slope usually found at the base of a cliff or steep incline.
Veil : Water falls over rocks (usually large rocks) creating a thin layer of water that just barely covers its surface.
{Please note - these waterfall classification questions are no longer allowed for "new" eartcache listsings.}
In order to qualify to log this cache, you need to answer the following questions and email the cache owner. Any logs not accompanied by an email will be deleted.
1) Take a photo of you and your GPSr at this spot with the waterfall visible in the background - bonus if it is from the base of the Falls. [Optional]
2) Looking at the plunge pool and cliff face - describe some of the features of the waterfall that you can observe. Examples would be - the plunge pool - cutting back of the cliff face - deposition of sediment in the gorge - any previous fall locations etc.
3) Using the classification for waterfalls above, determine what type of waterfall the Howick Falls are.
4) What mineral / element would normally cause reddish discolouration in the soil?
5) Describe what a "SILL" is. What is the vertical equivalent of a sill?
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Erzrzore gb fraq lbhe rznvy!
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