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29-599: The Elliot Formation unconformably overlies the Molteno Formation and is conformably overlain by the Clarens Formation . Due to the reddish colour of the rocks, the Elliot Formation is colloquially referred to as the “Red Beds” in older geologic literature. The Elliot Formation is dominated by mudstones and siltstones that can be finely laminated . However, the internal structures in

58-461: A prosauropod dinosaur. More examples of these eggs have since been found in the park. Other fossils found in the park include those of advanced cynodontia (canine toothed animals), small thecodontia (animals with teeth set firmly in the jaw), and bird-like and crocodile-like dinosaurs. Accommodation in the park is available at Glen Reenen and Brandwag Rest camps. Caravan and campsites with all amenities are available at Glen Reenen camp. The hotel

87-513: A large variety of bulbs and herbs. Each of these species has its own flowering time, meaning that veld flowers can be seen throughout the summer. The park also has Afromontane forests and high-altitude Austro-Afro alpine grassland , which is scarce in South Africa. The ouhout ( Leucosidea sericea ), an evergreen species, is the most common tree in the park. Ouhout is a favourite habitat of beetles and 117 species occur on these trees in

116-421: Is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval of time before deposition of the younger layer, but the term is used to describe any break in the sedimentary geologic record . The significance of angular unconformity (see below)

145-482: Is deposited against older strata thus influencing its bedding structure. A blended unconformity is a type of disconformity or nonconformity with no distinct separation plane or contact, sometimes consisting of soils, paleosols , or beds of pebbles derived from the underlying rock. Golden Gate Highlands National Park Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located in Free State , South Africa , near

174-415: Is located in the eastern highveld region of South Africa and experiences a dry, sunny climate from June to August. It has showers, hail, and thunderstorms between October and April. It has thick snowfalls in the winter. The park has a relatively high rainfall of 800 mm (31 in) per year. The park is an area of rich highveld and montane grassland flora . It has more than 60 grass species and

203-414: Is of the sauropodomorph species Massospondylus carinatus . Other species include Blikanasaurus cromptoni , Aardonyx celestae , Euskelosaurus browni , Antetonitrus ingenipes , Pulanesaura eocollum , and the largest sauropodomorph yet found, Ledumahadi mafube . Fossilised Massospondylus eggs , some with the fossilized remains of embryos intact, have been recovered from UEF deposits in

232-619: Is the Free State's only national park and is more famous for the beauty of its landscape than for its wildlife. Numerous palaeontology finds have been made in the park, including dinosaur eggs and skeletons. "Golden Gate" refers to the sandstone cliffs found on either side of the valley at the Golden Gate dam. In 1875, a farmer called J.N.R. van Reenen and his wife stopped here as they travelled to their new farm in Vuurland. He named

261-771: The Golden Gate Highlands National Park . Euskelosaurus fossils are more common in the LEF while Massospondylus are only found in the UEF. The basal ornithischian dinosaurs, Heterodontosaurus tucki , Lesothosaurus diagnosticus , Abrictosaurus consors , and Lycorhinus angustidens have also been recovered from the UEF. In addition this formation has yielded various crocodylomorph species, namely Litargosuchus leptorhynchus , Sphenosuchus acutus and Orthosuchus stormbergi . A large theropod dinosaur, Dracovenator regenti , has been found in

290-549: The Lesotho border . It covers an area of 340 km (130 sq mi). The park's most notable features are its golden, ochre, and orange-hued, deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and outcrops , especially the Brandwag rock. Another feature of the area is the numerous caves and shelters displaying San rock paintings . Wildlife featured at the park includes mongooses , eland , zebras , and over 100 bird species. It

319-508: The basaltic lava that flowed over the desert. It forms the mountain summits in the park. On Ribbokkop, it is 600 m (2,000 ft) thick. The Elliot Formation is a red mudstone where many dinosaur fossils have been found. The oldest dinosaur embryos ever discovered were found in the park in 1978. The eggs were from the Triassic Period (220 to 195 million years ago) and had fossilised foetal skeletons of Massospondylus ,

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348-520: The mudstones are often not visible due to locally poor laminations . Calcareous nodules are also found in the mudstone layers and become more frequent up section into the UEF. The mudstones range in colour from greyish purple red in the LEF and turn a more brick red colour with more mature palaeosols in the UEF. Localized intraformational pebble conglomerates that comprise intrabasinal clasts that comprise mud chips, quartzite pebbles, pedogenic nodules , and fossil bone fragments only occur in

377-533: The sandstones of the upper Elliot Formation more often contain various trace fossils . These include vertebrate trackways of basal ornithischian dinosaurs found in the Leribe , Mafeteng , and Mohales Hoek Districts of Lesotho . Possible trackways of the dicynodont Pentasaurus have been found on Morobong Hill in the Mohales Hoek District of Lesotho . Unconformity An unconformity

406-540: The UEF. Synapsids from the formation include the dicynodont Pentasaurus goggai the tritheledontid cynodont Elliotherium kersteni and the mammaliaform Megazostrodon rudnerae . More recent vertebrate fossil finds near the town Qhemegha in the Eastern Cape have yielded possible fossil material of a poposauroid pseudosuchian . The mudstones of the LEF sometimes yield petrified wood , fossil plant matter, crustaceans , fishes , and turtles while

435-647: The UEF. The lower and upper Elliot formations both contain sandstones but they vary in their internal geometries. The sandstones of the LEF mainly comprise laterally accreting channel deposits that are multi-story and contain trough, low angle, and planar, cross-bedding . Ripple cross laminations with good horizontal lamination are also present. In the UEF, sandstone beds are single story and mainly reflect downstream accretion channel geometries and are more tabular in appearance. Common internal sedimentary structures of UEF sandstones are planar, low angle cross-bedding, horizontal and ripple-cross laminations . The LEF

464-1001: The climate became more arid . The Elliot Formation is currently considered to correlate chronostratigraphically with geological formations of the Bodibeng Sandstone of the Tuli Basin in Botswana , the Omingonde Formation of the Etjo Basin in Namibia , and the Chinle Formation of the Colorado Plateau in Utah , United States . The Elliot Formation is well known for its diverse dinosaur fossils . The most common dinosaur species

493-559: The foothills of the Maluti Mountains . The Caledon River forms the southern boundary of the park, as well as the border between the Free State and Lesotho. The elevation ranges from a 1,800 m (5,900 ft) plateau in the north to heights of 2,700 m (8,900 ft) in the south. The highest peak in the park (and also in the Free State) is Ribbokkop at 2,829 m (9,281 ft) above sea level. The park

522-408: The location "Golden Gate" when he saw the last rays of the setting sun fall on the cliffs. In 1963, 47.92 km (11,840 acres) was proclaimed as a national park , specifically to preserve the scenic beauty of the area. In 1981, the park was enlarged to 62.41 km (15,420 acres), and in 1988, it was enlarged to 116.33 km (28,750 acres). In 2004, the park was announced to be joining with

551-533: The neighbouring QwaQwa National Park . The amalgamation of QwaQwa National Park was completed in 2007, increasing the park's area to 340 km (84,000 acres). The park is 320 km (200 mi) from Johannesburg and is close to the villages of Clarens and Kestell , in the upper regions of the Little Caledon River . The park is situated in the Rooiberge of the eastern Free State, in

580-538: The next deposition. The local record for that time interval is missing and geologists must use other clues to discover that part of the geologic history of that area. The interval of geologic time not represented is called a hiatus . It is a kind of relative dating . A disconformity is an unconformity between parallel layers of sedimentary rocks which represents a period of erosion or non-deposition. Disconformities are marked by features of subaerial erosion. This type of erosion can leave channels and paleosols in

609-534: The overlying horizontal layers. The whole sequence may later be deformed and tilted by further orogenic activity. A typical case history is presented by the Briançonnais realm (Swiss and French Prealps) during the Jurassic. Angular unconformities can occur in ash fall layers of pyroclastic rock deposited by volcanoes during explosive eruptions . In these cases, the hiatus in deposition represented by

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638-477: The park form the upper part of the Karoo Supergroup . These formations were deposited during a period of aeolian deposition towards the end of the Triassic Period . At the time of deposition, the climate of the area the park covers was becoming progressively drier until arid desert conditions set in, resulting in a land of dunes and sandy desert, with occasional scattered oases . The deposition of

667-495: The park. The grey rhebok and the mountain reedbuck were present when the park was established. Over 210 bird species have been observed in the park, including the rare bearded vulture and the endangered Cape vulture and bald ibis . Seven snake species, including the puff adder , mountain adder , and rinkhals , are found in the park. The geology of the park provides very visual "textbook" examples of Southern Africa 's geological history. The sandstone formations in

696-510: The park. The Lombardi poplars and weeping willows in the park are introduced species , but are kept because of their cultural and historic connection with the eastern Free State. Other exotic species in the park, for example wattle and bluegum, are systematically eradicated. Instead of reintroducing one of the "big five" into the park, the sungazer lizard and water mongoose were reintroduced. Twelve species of mice, 10 species of carnivores, and 10 antelope species have been recorded in

725-543: The rock record. A nonconformity exists between sedimentary rocks and metamorphic or igneous rocks when the sedimentary rock lies above and was deposited on the pre-existing and eroded metamorphic or igneous rock. Namely, if the rock below the break is igneous or has lost its bedding due to metamorphism, then the plane of juncture is a nonconformity. An angular unconformity is an unconformity where horizontally parallel strata of sedimentary rock are deposited on tilted and eroded layers, producing an angular discordance with

754-597: The sandstones ended when lava flowed out over the desert 190 million years ago. The following sequence of geological formations is visible in the park (starting from the bottom): the Molteno Formation, Elliott Formation, Clarens Formation, and Drakensberg Formation. The yellow-brown Golden Gate and Brandwag cliffs are made up of the Clarens formation. The layers in this formation are 140 to 160 m (460 to 520 ft) thick. The Drakensberg Formation comprises

783-526: The unconformity may be geologically very short – hours, days or weeks. A paraconformity is a type of unconformity in which the sedimentary layers above and below the unconformity are parallel, but there is no obvious erosional break between them. A break in sedimentation is indicated, for example, by fossil evidence. It is also called nondepositional unconformity or pseudoconformity. Short paraconformities are called diastems . A buttress unconformity also known as onlap unconformity, occurs when younger bedding

812-443: Was deposited in a fluvio - lacustrine environment where rivers were more perennial and formed meandering channel geometries, as evidenced by the presence of lateral accretion . However, this depositional environment changed at the onset of the UEF deposits where evidence of shallower river channels, longer periods of floodplain stasis (mature palaeosols ) and flash flood events ( pedogenic nodule conglomerates ) shows that

841-517: Was shown by James Hutton , who found examples of Hutton's Unconformity at Jedburgh in 1787 and at Siccar Point in Berwickshire in 1788, both in Scotland. The rocks above an unconformity are younger than the rocks beneath (unless the sequence has been overturned). An unconformity represents time during which no sediments were preserved in a region or were subsequently eroded before

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