page_title: Geology of Namibia
section_title: Geological sites
hierarchical_section_title: Geology of Namibia / Geological sites
caption_attribution_description: English: Satellite image of the Brandberg Massif, Namibia. Original figure caption: “Brandberg Massif is a dome-shaped granite intrusion that covers 250 square miles (650 square kilometers) and rises 1.6 miles (2,573 meters) above its surroundings in the central Namib Desert. Brandberg Massif is an important habitat for high-altitude savannah species and is of great archaeological interest due to the many prehistoric cave paintings found among its granite cliffs.” Deutsch: Satellitenbild des Brandberg Massivs, Namibia. Original Bildbeschriftung (modifizierte Übersetzung): Das Brandbergmassiv ist eine kuppelförmige Granit-Intrusion, deren Ausbiss sich über 650 Quadratkilometer erstreckt und sich 2.573 Meter über sein Umland in der zentralen Namib-Wüste erhebt. Das Brandberg-Massiv ist ein wichtiger Lebensraum für Pflanzen- und Tierarten der Hochlandsavanne und von hohem archäologischem Interesse aufgrund der zahlreichen frühgeschichtlichen Höhlenmalereien in seinen Granitklippen.
context_page_description: The geology of Namibia encompasses rocks of Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic to Cenozoic age. About 46% of the countryʼs surface are bedrock exposure, while the remainder is covered by the young overburden sediments of the Kalahari and Namib deserts.
  The country is famous for its mineral deposits of Tsumeb, as well as many geological sites of interest, from paleontological, geomorphological and volcanic character. Due to the exposure of the formations in a desert climate and the former German colony, the geology of Namibia is relatively well studied compared to the more tropical less exposed northern neighbors.
context_section_description: Namibiaʼs geological exposures contribute to a wide variety of geological sites. Some of them have already been protected, but some are unfortunately already spoiled. A formal inventory has provided 32 sites:
  Brandberg
  Brukkaros Mountain
  Burnt Mountain
  Dieprivier
  Dolerite Hills
  Etendeka Plateau
  Erongo
  Etosha Pan
  Fish River Canyon
  Gamsberg
  Gibeoan Meteorites
  Hoba Meteorite
  Kalahari Desert
  Karas Mountains
  Kolmanskop
  Kuiseb Canyon
  Lake Otjikoto and Lake Guinas
  Messum
  Mount Etjo
  Mukorob
  Namib Desert
  Naukluft
  Omatako Mountains
  Organ Pipes
  Dinosaur tracks at Otjihaenamparero
  Petrified forest, Khorixas
  Sesriem Canyon
  Sossusvlei
  Tsondabvlei
  Spitzkoppe
  Twyfelfontein
  Vingerklip
  Waterberg
  A spoiled geological monument is the Mukorob or "Finger of God", a weather resistant remnant of a sandstone pinnacle that was left standing on its own as erosion slowly cut back the surrounding Weissrand Escarpment of the Karoo Supergroup in southern Namibia. The Mukorob consisted of a large head of sandstone supported by a narrow neck of soft, fragmented mudstone. The head was almost 12 metres (39 ft) high and weighed about 450 tonnes (440 long tons; 500 short tons). On 8 December 1988, the Mukarob collapsed, possibly due to a destructive earthquake that had occurred the previous day in Armenia, but which was recorded strongly on the seismograph in Windhoek.
  The petrified forest near Khorixas in northwest Namibia is an impressive paleontological monument, which may serve as an already well protected geological site. Similarly, the Hoba Meteorite in northern Namibia, which is the largest known iron meteorite on Earth, is well protected as a national monument and attracts many visitors at the site and in the museum. The famous copper deposit at Tsumeb in northern Namibia was closed as a mine in 1996, but in addition to commercial sales of blister copper, Tsumeb is noted for its mineralogical diversity, having provided innumerable specimens of unique or rare minerals to the world's museums. Tsumeb therefore also deserves to achieve the status of a geosite. Other locations in Namibia that are of geological significance include traces of Triassic dinosauromorpha at Otjihaenamparero in central Namibia; the Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia is the second largest canyon of the world and is famous for its scenic beauty.
caption: Brandberg massif
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