One really doesn’t need to go overseas, getting on a plane and then jet off to some fancy location (unless one has the budget to do so of course) to truly take in the beauty that God has blessed us with, and yes I used God. All of this for free & just for us to enjoy and take in. Well, in my case, that means simply getting into the car and into a road either home or to work.

And then I get to observe and explore the beauty that is around me, if I am not in a hurry, I stop safely by the side of the road as if I am a crazy person and attempt to capture the moment. So peaceful and majestic. Free of charge. Wallpaper kind of stuff.

And no, it’s not just the coastal provinces of our beautiful country that offer spectacular Geological scenery! Not everything is about the oceans and sea. It’s in the quiet hills, well lit to dark skies, majestic mountains and valleys too.

I only had one hashtag for these views…

#GeologyLovesInlandProvinces

And it’s the series I would like to introducte to you to show you what Geology looks and feels like inland.

Allow me to let you in on a spectacular Geological masterpiece that is about 2 billion years old, that runs across inland provinces of our beautiful country with its peak at 1852 m above sea level.

Breakfast-view of the Magaliesburg at Steynshoop Mountain Lodge.

A Geological time piece of the majestic Quartzite -rich Mountainrange (The Magaliesburg) which can be traced from Pretoria in Gauteng all the way to Rustenburg in the North West Province. It tells a beautiful story of sedimentation, deposition and deformation through Geologic time as you travel between both provinces.

I recall concepts that I was introduced to this one time, which contribute to ecomonies of countries such as Germany and India – Geoparks and Geotourism. I know there are some places in our country that make use of such though I feel there could be a lot more because there is so much breathtaking Geology out there, just not explored or exploited, so to speak, enough accordingly.

One can easily see this feature while on a brief escape at one of the many lodges in and around the Magaliesburg area including the Magaliesburg Mountain Lodge and Steynshoop Mountain, the latter happens to be the location where the cover picture above was captured. I took this pic while enjoying some wholesome breakfast made to taste even better by the view of course. Want to reach its peak? Visit the Harties Cableway near the Hartbeespoort Dam and enjoy some spectacular views while dining. I got to visit this site on one of my birthdays and I really had a great time.

That’s the ultimate beauty of Geology, a science that provides insights into how things came about with the hope of better understanding and hopefully predicting what could happen thereafter.

I must admit that I tend to base most of my travelling escapades on the type of Geology that the area offers.

The following images are all captured along the N4 and R24 main roads, which connect the two provinces for your viewing pleasure. Each of them tells a unique story and provides a unique angle to the Magaliesburg view.

Captured along the N4 road towards Rustenburg from Zeerust, the staggered nature of the mountain is seen over the horizon.

Captured along the R24 road towards Krugersdorp from Rustenburg, the deformation of the Mountain is easily recorded along the Quartzite ringed ridges.

Captured along the R24 road towards Krugersdorp from Rustenburg, more deformation signatures of the mountain observed.

The High Quartzite rocks caps seen along the R24 road from Krugersdorp headed towards Rustenburg just next to the Olifansnek Dam pass.

The scenic view of the Magaliesburg Mountain-range along the R24 road towards Rustenburg.

As you depart Rustenburg for Krugersdorp along the R24 road, the last traffic circle on your route will provide you with a spectacular view of the Magaliesburg over the horizon.

The highly resistant and deformed Quartzite ridges of the Magaliesburg seen along the R24 road towards Krugersdorp.

When the atmosphere interacts with the landscape, captured on the Sun City Road off-ramp off the N4 from Rustenburg.

I’d really love to see what beautiful Geology landscape (whether deep, shallow or whatever the case may be) you see most often around your province or whichever country you find yourself in for that matter. Would be ideal if you’d also share your captured moments & the hashtag you’d accompany the image with.

The Geology of Johannesburg series and its spectacular shots follows.