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The south-wall gap |
The caldera floor looking west |
The south-wall-gap |
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The
caldera floor is about 2km in diameter. It is strewn
with rock debris. It is a remote and quiet world
that not many people have trodden. It is possibly the nearest
opportunity that you will ever have to stand on the floor of a volcano
like crater.
There was a time, following the initial formation, that
rain-water formed a lake in the caldera. The ground water seeped into
the rock fissures and when deep enough in the earth came into contact
with the magma heated rock and thus caused hot spring waters to bubble to the surface.
These waters carried with them silica solutions that solidified into hard rock
known as Breccia that eventually formed a thick coating on part of the
floor of the crater. The overrun through the lowest point of the
South Wall Gap over time formed what could be referred to as a
'"Rock Waterfall ".
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Boulder strewn floor |
Interesting rocks |
The rock waterfall |
Upper lip of the rock 'waterfall' |
There are a variety of rock types that can be found in and around
the crater. If you are interest in geology and scout around you will see a
variety rock types and deposits. There is a scattering of hardy trees and
desert plants in an near to the dry river bed, and you will see lonely
quiver trees clinging to the inner walls of the caldera that provide welcome
nesting sites for social weaver birds. You will also see several dead quiver
trees.
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Social Weaver Colony |
Dead Quiver Tree |
Dead Quiver Tree |
Brukkaros flower |
Brukkaros flower |
If your
visit is within a few days of summer shower you'll find hardy desert
plants in bloom, and you'll wonder as to how these can survive
dormant for most of the year and then suddenly and briefly come into
full flower..
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