Sesriem Canyon
Name origin
It's about 4.5km drive from the camp-site to the parking area for the Sesriem Canyon. Even during the dry season there are water pools in certain areas of the canyon. In previous times these provided an important water source for local inhabitants and for travellers. Early transport drivers (settlers returning from the Dorsland Trek) would make the detour to the canyon to water their horses and oxen. The animals could not access the water pools at the bottom of the canyon, so their drinking water had to be raised in buckets. The leather thongs used to in-span the draught animals were usually cut from gemsbok (Oryx) hide and were called in Afrikaans a 'riem'. As six of these thongs had to be tied together in order to make a 'rope' long enough to draw the water bucket the place was named Sesriem
Formation of the canyon
The initial formation of the canyon began about 30 million years ago. Much of Namibia was buried by desert sands up to 200meters deep which later formed the Tsondab Sandstone Sequence. A climate change then brought semi-arid conditions. Rivers were formed that ran from the massive escarpment of the Naukluft and Zaris Mountains to the east. Following primordial deluges large amounts of sand, boulder debris and dissolved limestone were carried down from the highlands and deposited on the desert floor. In times of a lower flow rate of the river, layers of sand were deposited. When the river experienced stronger flow rates small boulders, dissolved lime and limestone debris were transported and deposited over the sand layer.
About 2 million years ago the coming of an ice age in the northern hemisphere lead to a drop in the sea level. Following this the subsequent increased flow rate of the Tsauchab River began to cut its way deep through the conglomerates and sandstone beds of the Sesriem Canyon area thus forming the canyon.
While walking through the Sesriem Canyon you can easily see the thick and distinctive layers of sedimentary rock and conglomerates. You will hear the constant cooing of doves that nest in the crevices of the canyon walls and see a variety of trees and plants in the canyon bed.
Sesriem lays within a National Park area, so there are entrance fees payable to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The accommodation and facilities at A-Ais are managed and operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts.
How to claim the cache?
Send through our profile answers to these questions:
1) Send us description of the canyon bottom floor at the place of initial coordinates of the cache. If not accessible due to water, please send a photo from above the place.
2) Describe the shape above the reference point 1. If not accessible, describe the canyon edge surface closest you can get.
3) Find water in the canyon and send us the coordinates of the water. You may use the photo hint.
4) Explain, what ephemeral stream means and what is the relation of this term to the canyon.
5) Non obligatory: send us a photo of yourselves or your GPS at the bottom of canyon. If not accessible, at the edge of the canyon.
Credits
Thanks to Namibia 1 on 1 and Wikipedia.