Since the dawn of time the face of the earth has been in a constant state of change. Words such as epochs, periods, and cataclysms were coined to separate different distinctive eras of being but, as climate change in our own time demonstrates, we are constantly evolving and devolving to the next one. There are a few places on earth where conditions exist to create virtual snapshots, time capsules preserved for us to be able to take a peek back at what came before. Langebaanweg on the Cape West Coast is one such place.
I decided to write this blog as
an expose of a feature of one of our trails, the Berg River Canooze. The folks
at the Fossil Park kindly allowed us to join a group of students for a tour of
their facility, so off went our intrepid explorer, Danelle van Daalen, with a
notepad, a camera, and high hopes. A few fun facts, a few photos. We’d have our
promotional material for the consumption of anyone interested in paying us, or
the Fossil Park, a visit. Little did we imagine how rare and precious this site
would be, how impacted we’d be by the staff’s passion for unearthing these
treasures, or how much pride we’d feel at having a facility such as this in our
Biosphere. We were also struck by how we almost lost this place, and how the
foresight of a handful of people saved and preserved this piece of our history
– our heritage.
In the late 1950’s the first fossils were identified at a
CHEMFOS phosphate mine near Langebaanweg Airforce base. From then until
1993, when the mine closed, three different quarries were opened up. 80%
of the fossils were destroyed due to the mining, but the remaining 20% was
enough to paint a picture of what the West Coast could have looked like long
ago. Over 200 species have so far been identified, making this area the richest
fossil spot of this time period in the
world. ‘C’ and ‘E’ quarries of the New
Varswater mine proved to be a treasure trove of Miocene-, Pliocene-, and
Pleistocene- Period deposits, going back to about 10 million years ago. One is
necessarily in awe of what has been learned about the changes that have been
experienced in this small part of the world over that time period; the ebb and
flow of the ocean, the rise and decline of animal- and plant- species.
Ultimately, it was the sense of humility at how recently we humans arrived on
the scene that struck us the most – and how profound our impact has been,
little of it for the better.
I thought of perhaps writing a blow-by-blow of our visit as
per the notes I received. After all, our gracious guide, Wendy Wentzel, had
told us so much about what has been-, is happening-, and was hoped for- at the
site. We were told of species long extinct, others that had adapted and survive
to this day. We were shown examples of different geological features and were
told what could be inferred from them. Then there
was the museum, necessarily an edifice to- and testimony of- the passion of
those people who had made a contribution to this place and had made it possible
for anyone to visit and explore it for themselves. To say that it captured the
imagination would be a gross understatement.
Ultimately, the Fossil Park’s greatest gift to people can be nicely illustrated by the response we got from Krige Binneman, a tourism student from Boland College, who had also been on the tour:
Ultimately, the Fossil Park’s greatest gift to people can be nicely illustrated by the response we got from Krige Binneman, a tourism student from Boland College, who had also been on the tour:
“I thought it (the tour) was very interesting. Before I came
here, I wasn’t very interested in this field (Palaeontology), but after being
here, even during the tour, I found it really interesting. People shouldn’t bypass
this place, because I feel that people are currently driving past because they
don’t know what to expect to see. I learned many new things that I never
thought I would. My favourite part was
the excavation site. It’s so much different to see the fossils in real life
compared to pictures thereof. It really is amazing. I would definitely
recommend the West Coast Fossil Park to other people.”
