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Erongo

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Landscapes and Landforms of Namibia

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

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Abstract

Erongo, the largest of the Cretaceous plutons, is a caldera structure consisting of lavas and pyroclastic products. It was formed by cauldron subsidence, following which the granitic rocks were passively emplaced in the space provided by the subsidence. Where these granites outcrop, such as at Ameib, they produce a very striking landscape, with large domes, arches, precariously balanced boulders (as at the Bulls Parties), and remarkable weathering pits, while deep recesses produced by weathering have created numerous shallow caves or rock shelters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK

    Andrew Goudie & Heather Viles

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  1. Andrew Goudie
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  2. Heather Viles
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Correspondence to Andrew Goudie .

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Goudie, A., Viles, H. (2015). Erongo. In: Landscapes and Landforms of Namibia. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8020-9_11

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