The Naukluft Mountains (Afrikaans and German: Naukluftberge) are a mountain range in central Namibia. The southern part of the mountain range forms the easternmost part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The northern mountains are occupied by privately held farms. They are known for their wildlife, including mountain zebras and leopards. The mountains have many small streams and waterfalls.
Waterkloof, a section of the NaukluftNaukluft, seen from Sesriem
Naukluft is the Namibian German rendering of the Afrikaans Noukloof, meaning "narrow ravine", from nou ('narrow', cf Dutch nauw) and kloof ('ravine', cf German Kluft).[1]
Geologyedit
The Naukluft Mountains are a nappe complex: a stack of rock units which have been transported toward the southeast on a basal thrust fault. The first geological maps and cross-sections of the mountain range were made in the 1930s by Henno Martin and Hermann Korn. The rocks are interbedded sediments, dominated by dolomites, quartzites and shales, deposited in a shallow marine environment in the hinterland of the Damara orogeny between 700-500 million years ago. The sediments are equivalent in age to the Otavi Mountainlands sediments, where evidence for snowball earth climates was described by Paul F. Hoffman. The same lithologies are present in the Naukluft Mountains, but the sediments are folded and faulted, so the original stratigraphy is deformed and inverted.
The mountain range has been the site of numerous studies seeking to explain the mechanical paradox of overthrusts: How large thin units of rock may be pushed long distances over gently dipping thrust faults. The main basal thrust fault beneath the klippe which forms the mountain range contains an unusual polymineralic granular rock which has been described by some authors as an injected evaporite,[2] and by others as a fault rock formed by alteration during earthquake slip.[3] Most workers agree that the lubricating effect of this granular layer helped the thrust fault slip when the fault was active.[4]
Referencesedit
^Bergerson, Jeremy (2011). Apperception and Linguistic Contact between German and Afrikaans(PDF) (PhD). University of California, Berkeley. pp. 133–134. German loans in Namibian Afrikaans […] Naukluft < noukloof 'narrow ravine' […] Kluft normally means 'ravine, crevasse, chasm', while in Afrikaans kloof shares those senses, but refers specifically to the kinds of steep-walled ravines one often sees in Namibia and the Cape. The word was borrowed outright as well, so that both Kloof 'steep-walled ravine' and -kluft co-exist in Namibian German.
^Behr and Schmidt-Mumm (1987) The role of sedimentary and tectonic brines in the Damara Orogen, Namibia, Applied Geochemistry v. 2, n. 5-6, 535-542
^Rowe, Fagereng, Miller and Mapani (2012) Signature of coseismic decarbonation in dolomitic fault rocks of the Naukluft Thrust, Namibia. Earth & Planetary Science Letters v. 333-334, 200-210
^Viola, Mancktelow, and Miller (2006) Cyclic frictional-viscous slip oscillations along the base of an advancing nappe complex: Insights into brittle-ductile nappe emplacement mechanisms from the Naukluft Nappe Complex, central Namibia. Tectonics v. 25, n. 3
naukluft, mountains, afrikaans, german, naukluftberge, mountain, range, central, namibia, southern, part, mountain, range, forms, easternmost, part, namib, naukluft, national, park, northern, mountains, occupied, privately, held, farms, they, known, their, wil. The Naukluft Mountains Afrikaans and German Naukluftberge are a mountain range in central Namibia The southern part of the mountain range forms the easternmost part of the Namib Naukluft National Park The northern mountains are occupied by privately held farms They are known for their wildlife including mountain zebras and leopards The mountains have many small streams and waterfalls Waterkloof a section of the Naukluft Naukluft seen from Sesriem Naukluft is the Namibian German rendering of the Afrikaans Noukloof meaning narrow ravine from nou narrow cf Dutch nauw and kloof ravine cf German Kluft 1 Geology editThe Naukluft Mountains are a nappe complex a stack of rock units which have been transported toward the southeast on a basal thrust fault The first geological maps and cross sections of the mountain range were made in the 1930s by Henno Martin and Hermann Korn The rocks are interbedded sediments dominated by dolomites quartzites and shales deposited in a shallow marine environment in the hinterland of the Damara orogeny between 700 500 million years ago The sediments are equivalent in age to the Otavi Mountainlands sediments where evidence for snowball earth climates was described by Paul F Hoffman The same lithologies are present in the Naukluft Mountains but the sediments are folded and faulted so the original stratigraphy is deformed and inverted The mountain range has been the site of numerous studies seeking to explain the mechanical paradox of overthrusts How large thin units of rock may be pushed long distances over gently dipping thrust faults The main basal thrust fault beneath the klippe which forms the mountain range contains an unusual polymineralic granular rock which has been described by some authors as an injected evaporite 2 and by others as a fault rock formed by alteration during earthquake slip 3 Most workers agree that the lubricating effect of this granular layer helped the thrust fault slip when the fault was active 4 References edit Bergerson Jeremy 2011 Apperception and Linguistic Contact between German and Afrikaans PDF PhD University of California Berkeley pp 133 134 German loans in Namibian Afrikaans Naukluft lt noukloof narrow ravine Kluft normally means ravine crevasse chasm while in Afrikaans kloof shares those senses but refers specifically to the kinds of steep walled ravines one often sees in Namibia and the Cape The word was borrowed outright as well so that both Kloof steep walled ravine and kluft co exist in Namibian German Behr and Schmidt Mumm 1987 The role of sedimentary and tectonic brines in the Damara Orogen Namibia Applied Geochemistry v 2 n 5 6 535 542 Rowe Fagereng Miller and Mapani 2012 Signature of coseismic decarbonation in dolomitic fault rocks of the Naukluft Thrust Namibia Earth amp Planetary Science Letters v 333 334 200 210 Viola Mancktelow and Miller 2006 Cyclic frictional viscous slip oscillations along the base of an advancing nappe complex Insights into brittle ductile nappe emplacement mechanisms from the Naukluft Nappe Complex central Namibia Tectonics v 25 n 3 24 10 S 16 10 E 24 167 S 16 167 E 24 167 16 167 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Naukluft Mountains amp oldid 1181197640, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
