Makhonjwa Heritage Project Brochure, May 2009

THE

Genesis LIFE

MAKHONJWA HERITAGE PROJECT of

3.5 BILLION BC Genesis LIFE Tucked ofaway in the most ancient corner launched ‘Makhonjwa Heritage Project’, For centuries these impossibly steep hills of our land, hard against South Africa’s enjoys wide stakeholder support, and seeks have defi ned the edge of Swazi infl uence. border with the kingdom of Swaziland, to establish this unspoiled treasure house of In 1883 they fi rst made world headlines lies a hidden wilderness. The Makhonjwa geological history as a World Heritage Site. with the discovery of gold, and the Mountains in Mpumalanga are not well establishment of a miner’s camp called known by their original name; maybe that’s In March 2008, the ‘Barberton-Makhonjwa Barberton. Over the last half century they because Swazi folk-law has it, that pointing Mountain Land’ made it to the ‘Tentative have been quietly building a scientifi c at them brings bad luck. Well, things are List’ of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site reputation as a unique geological remnant about to change! programme. The planning team for the of the newly formed Earth at the dawn of life. project, an experienced local consortium Billion years ago

A major drive for international headed by Barberton’s Concession Creek 5 4 3 2 1 TODAY recognition, started many Consulting, has been given the go-ahead Belt years ago, is fi nally bearing and it’s all-systems-go towards World Man oxygen

fruit. The recently Heritage Site status. Dinosaurs Earliest fossil Evidence of life Moon formation Rise in atmospheric Oldest zircon crystal First cells with nucleus Formation of the earth Barberton Greenstone First hard-shelled animals Barberton Million Greenstone Belt 3 600 000 000 - 3 250 000 000 years ago 4 000 000 000 3 000 000 000 2 000 000 000 1 000 000 000 900 000 000 800 000 000 700 000 000 600 000 000 500 000 000

ARCHAEAN ERA PROTEROZOIC ERA PALAEOZOIC ERA 3 900 - 2 500 MYA 2 500 - 544 MYA 544 - 245 MYA 3 900 MYA 3 300 MYA 2 500 MYA 1 500 MYA 900 MYA 850 MYA 600 MYA 550 MYA 505 MYA The earliest life appears; Giant asteroid impacts Blue-green algae Cells with nucleus Single-celled Colonial Proterospongia The fi rst multicellular Flat worms appear, the First vertebrates appear. self-reproducing RNA Earth leaving remnants of forming biomats and appear, setting life on its choanofl agellates, (primitive sponges) animals, the sponges, fi rst animals to have a molecules. DNA evolves. the impact as spherules stromatolites plentiful. evolutionary path. ancestors of the entire appear and are the best appear, no muscles, “brain”. 400 MYA Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains – Enclosing membrane in Barberton Greenstone Algae change animal kingdom, appear living examples of how nerves or internal organs. Coelocanth appears. . . evolves forming the Belt. atmosphere to one that 1 200 MYA and still survive today. the ancestor of all and all this, some 397 fi rst cells. supports more diverse Sexual reproduction animals may have 580 MYA million years before the a tentative World Heritage Site life forms. evolves leading to faster looked. Cnidarians appear. Most appearance of humans! evolution. have nerves and muscle. What SPECIAL Themakes Makhonjwas comprise itthe oldest and These ancient mountains, older even than geologists and palaeobiologists have learned best-preserved sequence of volcanic and the bulging granite domes around Nelspruit more about the Earth’s early history, than sedimentary rocks on Earth. Known as the and Mbabane, provide the best source of from any other comparable site. Barberton Greenstone Belt, these highly information about the early Earth anywhere accessible ancient exposures present a in the world. As required by the World It is for these unique attributes that the continuous 350 million year sequence of Heritage Convention, they are ‘the best area has been accepted onto the World rocks, beginning 3 600 million years ago. of the best’ examples of this form of most Heritage Site Tentative List by UNESCO. Their physical and chemical characteristics ancient (Archaean) geology. This formality is a prerequisite to full World provide an unparalleled source of scientifi c Heritage Site status. This certifi cation information about the early Earth. The The outstanding value of these rocks is due process is regulated by the international outstanding value of these rocks lies in the largely to their remarkable preservation. World Heritage Convention of 1972, to large number of sites and features that, Enclaves exist where original components which South Africa is a signatory, and by when combined, provide a unique, and are intact for most rock types in this long our own World Heritage Convention Act as yet only partially explored, scientifi c Archaean sequence. From these rocks, (No 49 of 1999). resource.

Barberton Million Greenstone Belt 3 600 000 000 - 3 250 000 000 years ago 4 000 000 000 3 000 000 000 2 000 000 000 1 000 000 000 900 000 000 800 000 000 700 000 000 600 000 000 500 000 000

A N D M A N The Barberton–MakhonjwaLandscape Mountain by Swazi and other local pastoral people, CULTURAL TREASURE HOUSE Land is set in deeply folded mountainous but the steep and rocky landscape did not Interesting cultural features, include: terrain, straddling the Swaziland border and provide well for human livelihoods and so n Lion Cavern (Bomvu Ridge) at the stretching from the Lochiel Plateau in the occupation fluctuated both seasonally and abandoned Ngwenya iron ore mine in NW south, to the Nelspruit-Komatipoort area according to the ebb and flow of local Swaziland is the oldest ancient mining site in the north. It includes part of the Komati conflicts. Substantial settlements were rare, ever dated. It was initially dated at 41 250 River catchment in the south-west, the being limited mainly to the larger river BC – some seven times older than the oldest de Kaap catchment in the north, and the valleys. known flint mines of Western Europe. Later Mahlambanyathi and Crocodile rivers in the and more accurate C14 dating, astonishingly northeast. The hills are steep and rocky, At the time of European settlement in the suggests a more likely age to be 70 000 to with moist grassy uplands and forested 1860s the region became a contested 80 000 BC. valleys. border zone. Land deals were struck n An extremely high frequency of stone- between the Swazi king and Transvaal age tools and related artifacts as well as San Oral history suggests that through the 1700s colonists, the echoes of which remain to this cave paintings. and 1800s the land was sparsely occupied day. n A rich contemporary history of dynamic local African cultures, colonisation and early gold mining.

The region is culturally and historically important and is the site of South Africa’s first real gold rush. Barberton’s gold rush was soon dwarfed BRIGHTER THAN GOLD by the discoveries on the Witwatersrand in A growing global network of geologists 1886 but mining persists to this day. The descend annually on Barberton to search HOT ROCKS Sheba Mine, founded in 1883, is reputed to for clues to the Archaean era. Over 30 The region burst onto the world’s stage be the oldest continuously producing gold years of research have helped to defi ne, when alluvial gold was found at Kaapsehoop mine in the world and it continues to yield among other things: the evolution of Earth’s in 1875. This was followed by the Moodie’s the world’s oldest gold. atmosphere; the origins of life; the growth and Barber’s Reef gold strikes, and the 1883 mechanisms of continents and the composi- gold rush into the hills above the After the South African War, the tion of the earliest oceans. Although rocks of Suid Kaap River. country’s mineral wealth, derived mainly similar age and even older are known from from diamonds and gold, grew enormously. other parts of the world, none combines the A direct by-product of this affl uence was outstanding and diverse characteristics of the development of geological science to the Barberton Greenstone Belt – a fame support mining. In the fi rst half of the 20th more signifi cant and longer-lasting than its century, technical expertise and geological colourful gold-rush past. exploration expanded rapidly. Beyond geology, the area has many other In 1969, twin brothers and student attractions. Trails through unspoiled geologists, Richard and Morris Viljoen, mountain scenery stretching in all described distinctive Archaean lavas from directions; clear mountain streams tumble the Komati River valley, now known and cascade through wooded kloofs; throughout the world as komatiites. This biological diversity abounds. The area is landmark discovery identifi ed the oldest especially rich in locally unique and volcanic rocks of a hitherto unknown chem- specialised plants and has an abundance of ical and crystalline composition formed at birds. Good infrastructure and a comfortable temperatures approximating 1 6500C – the year-round climate make these attractions hottest ever described for volcanic rocks at easily accessible to visitors. the Earth’s surface. Special A

INTEREST I N T O U R I S M The futuregeological World Heritage Site will include the best examples of the most important geo- As futurewell as an exceptional geology, the logical exposures, along with an array of tourism assets. These ‘universally outstanding’ Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains support sites are numerous and widespread but will include at least:- a rich biodiversity. The steep and broken terrain, unusually mineralised soils (e.g. n Various formations containing the fi rst microfossil evidence of life on Earth, some of serpentine and talcose soils), high rainfall which, such as stromatolites and biomats, can be seen with the naked eye and extremes of temperature, give rise to a n Pillow lava ‘balloons’ indicating widespread under-water volcanic eruptions wide diversity of habitats and have resulted n Spherule beds, remnants of the earliest recorded and probably the largest asteroid in what botanists call a ‘local centre of plant impacts on Earth endemism’, one of 20 such biodiversity n Deposits of volcanic lapilli (solidifi ed droplets of molten lava from volcanic eruptions), hotspots in South Africa. on the fl oor of ancient oceans n 3.4 billion year old shorelines, that have allowed precise tidal and lunar measurements at the dawn of time n The type locality of the famous komatiite lavas at Spinifex Creek. NAME AND OWNERSHIP SIZE ha

Songimvelo N.R. (State) 35 800

Songimvelo N.R. ‘Panhandle’ (State) 13 250

Mountainlands N.R. (Joint venture) 16 700

Barberton Municipal N.R. (Municipal) 350

Barberton N.R. (State) 2 450

Nkomazi G.R. (Private) 30 000 ‘This region offers a virtual library of information at the limits of terrestrial time and allows us to study and learn about the origins and earliest history of our planet.’ TOTAL AREA 98 550 Prof. Christoph Heubeck, Free University of Berlin The area’s scenic beauty and high biodiversity, has been recognised by conservation authorities through both large and small nature reserves. These protected areas, and the surrounding mountain landscapes of exceptional beauty, provide a foundation for diverse and innovative tourism partnerships and developments: geological, birding, botanical, historical and cultural tours, hiking and off-road trails and many other adventure tourism activities. The World Heritage Site Tentative List motivation provides for all the formally proclaimed nature reserves in the area to be included. These protected areas, are intended to be the minimum complement for inclusion in the future World Heritage Site. There are also several botanical reserves, some Natural Heritage Sites and other protected areas in the region, that will also be considered for inclusion. In all, the Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountainland provides a cornucopia of tourism development opportunities. Barberton Greenstone Belt

For more information contact: Barberton Tourism – www.barberton.co.za Concession Creek Consulting – www.concessioncreek.co.za