Day 12 (Sunday Sept. 17th)
Postmastberg to Kimberly
After a nice breakfast at the Postmastberg Hotel, we drove to a nearby exposure
of the Makganyene diamictite, which was produced by Paleoproterozoic
glaciation. Despite the cold temperature (5 C) and chilling winds, the gang
was able to find several convincing cobbles with glacial striations. We then
traveled south on a gravel road about 60 km to the southernmost portion of the
basin, and took a good look at pillow basalts of the Ongeluk formation and
some large stromatillites in a road quarry.
The highlight of the day was a visit to a small lapidary shop in the tiny town
of Griquatown, which Nic Buekes had recommended. Even though it was Sunday,
this guy opened up his rock shop (Earth Adventures) , and did big business.
He had polished Banded Iron Stones, agates, and Joe even bought a clock made from
a slab of hematite breccia from the local iron mines. The BIF eggs were a
smash hit! We then headed into Kimberly, and found the dormitories at the
DeBeers Mining Company, and our hosts, Dave Bell and Jock Robey.
Return to South Africa Itinerary Page
Back to Day 12 Pictures