Makhonjwa Mountains
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How it came to be
The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains in northeastern South Africa make up 40 percent of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, one of the oldest geological structures on Earth. They hold the best-preserved succession of volcanic and sedimentary rock dating from 3.6 to 3.25 billion years ago, and according to UNESCO they record surface conditions, meteorite impacts, volcanism, continent-building and the environment of early life.
Eight layers of spherules, formed from vapour condensed after impacts, record at least four impact events between about 3.5 and 3.2 billion years ago. The Komati River, which flows through the belt, gave its name to komatiite, an unusual magnesium-rich ultramafic volcanic rock.
The human story begins with gold. Tom McLachlan found alluvial gold in the area in 1881, and on 20 June 1883 Auguste Roberts found gold in Concession Creek, setting off a gold rush. In 1884 Graham Barber and his two cousins reported payable gold, and the township was named Barberton after him. The mountains were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2018.
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