Me, Kobus Lubbe, along the R40 Barberton Makhondjwa Geotrail.
With very hot temperatures in the Lowveld (over 40°C where I was staying in Marloth Park) I decided to flee to the mountains and a change of scenery. Cool, a bit damp, but wow!!!
I've learned about this region many years ago in Geology class and wanted to see it in real life. The experience exceeded my expectations!
Josefdal is a small remote border crossing between South Africa and Eswatini. It is mostly used by locals and the odd tourist exploring these regions. It is also where I started my visit moving westwards along the R40 route to Barberton.
The vegetation is just as amazing as the geology, with patches of evergreen forests in between the rolling grasslands.
Looking down a valley amongst some of the oldest rocks on earth.
Black Chert. R5 coin for scale. The chert is the dark band just above the coin.
It is made mostly of microcrystalline quartz, and its dark colour usually comes from organic carbon trapped inside it. It breaks with sharp, glass‑like edges and often forms in ancient marine environments.
The Black Chert was formed in deep sub-marine basins around 3.3 billion years ago. It contains organic carbon, most likely cyanobacteria but the actual origin is difficult to determine due to heat, pressure and time.
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