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THE FOBMING OF THE DBAKENSBEBG. 



By Alex. L. du Toit, B.A., F.G.S. 



(Bead November 30, 1904.) 



{Published with the permission of the Geological Commission.) 



I. — Introduction. 



The Drakensberg is the south-eastern edge of the great tract of high 

 ground forming Basutoland. It extends northwards to form the 

 boundary between Natal and the Orange Biver Colony, while its pro- 

 longation westwards forms the Stormberg area. Though of extreme 

 interest geologically, the Drakensberg has not attracted very much 

 attention from South African geologists, and papers upon its geology 

 and mineralogy are but few ; among the most important are those 

 by Cohen, Dunn, Churchill, and Schwarz. The recent geological 

 survey of a considerable area around Elliot, Barkly East, and on the 

 Basutoland border, has yielded a large amount of information 

 concerning the rocks composing this portion of the Drakensberg and 

 their geological history. 



According to all authorities the character of the rocks varies but 

 little over an immense area, and it is almost safe to say, that the 

 conditions under which they were formed must have been almost 

 the same all over the area now occupied by them. 



Consequently from the examination and study of the south- 

 western portion of this area it is possible to get a very good notion 

 of the formation and elevation of this vast tract of mountain country 

 — the highest in Southern Africa. 



The rocks which go to build up this mountainous area belong to the 

 uppermost division of the Karroo formation, to the Stormberg 

 series, so-called from its typical development in that part of the 

 country where the beds were first mapped in detail. The Stormberg 

 beds cover an immense area in South Africa : namely, in the Cape 

 Colony (Eastern Province and Native Territories) about 10,500 



