GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AFRICA
11th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

EXCURSION N6

PROTEROZOIC GEOLOGY OF THE
LOWER ORANGE RIVER REGION

OKIEP COPPER DISTRICT, WESTERN NAMAQUALAND

View south into core of Springbok Dome, Okiep Copper District. Augen gneisses of the Klein Namaqualand Suite.

Klondyke Steep Structure, Okiep Copper District. Wider view showing the regional shallow dip of the gneisses beyond the steepening.

Klondyke Steep Structure, Okiep Copper District. Steeply dipping gneisses are cut by copper-bearing mafic intrusions

Dave Reid and Martin Wieneke pose next to a mafic dyke intruding Vioolsdrif granite. Highway exposure on the N7 south of Vioolsdrif

Orange River: Provenance Camp to King Kong

Provenance Camp of Felix Unite River Adventures, near Noordoewer on the Orange River, Namibia

GSA11 Field Excursion at Provenance Camp on the Orange River, Namibia

Folded Nama limestones exposed in the Orange River canyon at Modderdrif

Nama quartzites unconformably overlying metavolcanic rocks of the Orange River Group, near Xaminxaip

"King Kong" - built of dark feldspar-phyric melasyenite of the Richtersveld alkaline intrusive suite, Stinkfontein River confluence

The camp on the river below King Kong

Bostonite dykes cutting granite, Richtersveld alkaline intrusive suite, between the Stinkfontein and Sjmabok River confluences

Orange River: King Kong to Seven Pillars

View south down the Sjambok River towards the Orange. Numerous bostonite dykes cut granite of the Richtersveld alkaline intrusive suite

View south up the Orange River above the mouth of the Sjambok River at left

View south across the Orange River at Sjambok

View SW into the canyon of the Orange River above the Sjambok River confluence. Dark bostonite dykes cross-cutting granite of the Richtersveld suite

GSA11 N6 excursion team high above the Orange River canyon at Sjambok

Trenches dug into fluorite veins developed in altered Richtersveld granite, Sjambokkloof

Sjambok bostonite dyke swarm. Bifurcating fractures propogating through the country rock granite

Detail of the intrusion geometry, Sjambok bostonite swarm. En echelon fracturing in country rock granites

View east across the Orange near Seven Pillars. Pale Richtersveld granites intrude dark metavolcanics of the Orange River Group

Orange River: Seven Pillars to Aussenkehr

Approaching the Rosyntjieberg isoclinal fold downstream from Seven Pillars.

Isoclinally folded quartzites of the Rosyntjieberg Formation, Orange River Group. The narrow tapering towers resemble witches hats, hence the name of the locality "The Witches"

Detail of the isoclines within the Rosyntjieberg fold

Emerging from the imposing quartzite mountains surrounding the Rosyntjieberg gorge

Haib Porphyry Copper Prospect

View east into the dissected mountainland of the Haib River area. The Haib Porphyry forms the pale outcrops in the centre

View east towards the Haib River. Darker outcrops to left are metavolcanics of the Orange River Group. Haib porphyry forms lighter outcrops to the right

Green secondary oxidised copper stains the surface outcrops of the Haib Porphyry

Another outcrop of the Haib Porphyry with green oxidised copper staining the surface

Exploration adits and pits in the Haib Porphyry, excavated in the surface oxidised zone