Witteberg
Encyclopedia
The Witteberg or Witteberge is a South African mountain range just off the south-west corner of Lesotho
. The range, which rises to 2408 metres, stretches for about 60km from Lundin's Nek in the east to Lady Grey
in the west. The range lends its name to the Witteberg Series, the uppermost fossiliferous sequence of the Cape System of sedimentary rocks in South Africa.
The Witteberg Series (340-375 Ma) consists of clastic, shoreline deposits of shales, sandstones, and quartzites, and lies below the plant-bearing and glacial beds of the Lower Karoo System
. The Witteberg Series has yielded fossil fragments of Lepidodendron
-like plants and large numbers of the ichnogenus known as Spirophyton
.
The upper part of the series is also rich in palaeoniscoid fauna. In 1969 Brian G Gardiner FLS, Professor of Palaeontology at King's College, described 7 new genera and species from here – Australichthys longidorsalis, Aestuarichthys fulcratus, Willomorichthys striatulus, Sundayichthys elegantulus, Dwykia
analensis, Adroichthys tuberculatus and Soetendalichthys cromptoni. Two new families were also added to the fauna, the Willomorichthyidae and the Dwykiidae.
The Witteberge range in the Eastern Free State
on the north-west corner of Lesotho
is an unrelated mountain. 'Witteberg' (white mountain) is a common name in South Africa for any mountain lofty enough to show snowfall during winter.
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
. The range, which rises to 2408 metres, stretches for about 60km from Lundin's Nek in the east to Lady Grey
Lady Grey, Eastern Cape
Lady Grey is a rural village in the Eastern Cape in South Africa near the border with Lesotho. It is situated in the foothills of the Witteberg mountains, about 55 kilometers east of Aliwal North and 260 km from the capital of the Free State Province, Bloemfontein...
in the west. The range lends its name to the Witteberg Series, the uppermost fossiliferous sequence of the Cape System of sedimentary rocks in South Africa.
The Witteberg Series (340-375 Ma) consists of clastic, shoreline deposits of shales, sandstones, and quartzites, and lies below the plant-bearing and glacial beds of the Lower Karoo System
Karoo System
The Karoo System or Karoo Sequence, is a geologic system of rock formations covering 1 500 000 square km and extending from the Equator south to the Cape of Good Hope...
. The Witteberg Series has yielded fossil fragments of Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron
Lepidodendron is an extinct genus of primitive, vascular, arborescent plant related to the Lycopsids . It was part of the coal forest flora. They sometimes reached heights of over , and the trunks were often over in diameter, and thrived during the Carboniferous period...
-like plants and large numbers of the ichnogenus known as Spirophyton
Spirophyton
Spirophyton is the former name of an ichnogenus or trace fossil belonging to the Zoophycos....
.
The upper part of the series is also rich in palaeoniscoid fauna. In 1969 Brian G Gardiner FLS, Professor of Palaeontology at King's College, described 7 new genera and species from here – Australichthys longidorsalis, Aestuarichthys fulcratus, Willomorichthys striatulus, Sundayichthys elegantulus, Dwykia
Dwykia
Dwykia is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish.-See also:* Prehistoric fish* List of prehistoric bony fish-External links:*...
analensis, Adroichthys tuberculatus and Soetendalichthys cromptoni. Two new families were also added to the fauna, the Willomorichthyidae and the Dwykiidae.
The Witteberge range in the Eastern Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
on the north-west corner of Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
is an unrelated mountain. 'Witteberg' (white mountain) is a common name in South Africa for any mountain lofty enough to show snowfall during winter.