Pilanesberg Game Reserve
The Pilanesberg National Park (English Pilanesberg Game Reserve ) is a national park in the North West Province in South Africa. The park is situated around the 1687 meter high extinct volcano in the Pilanesberg Platinum Bojanala district in close proximity to the entertainment complex Sun City. It is located approximately 150 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg and is approximately 55,000 acres in size.
History
Before the area was transformed into the National Park, it was part of the settlement area of the Tswana. The park was opened in December 1979 on the territory of the then formally independent Bophuthatswana. With the so-called Operation Genesis, which at that time the largest Tierumsiedelungsprogramm the world, the park was established. About 7,000 animals were relocated from other national parks in southern Africa. Presently ( 2005) there are in the park about 103 species of mammals, over 350 bird species, 18 different species of amphibians and 65 species of reptiles. He is a also home to the Big Five.
Geology
In Mesoproterozoikum invaded enormous quantities of magma into the existing rocks of the present tract of land. As these magmas cooled down very slowly, rock units in minerals, including chromium and platinum contents were made rich. When these rock complexes came to light, today's flat landscape was formed surrounding the area around the Pilanesberg and is part of the Bushveld complex.
Later, the rocks on the surface tectonic processes were exposed, which triggered volcanic activity. The magma entered the rock complexes and generated large-scale alkaline rock units. At Pilanesberg itself occurred several volcanic eruptions. Before the first eruption about 1,300 million years ago the magmatic- tectonic processes could break up into three unusual concentric circles the earth's surface. This structure is alkaline ring complex called. After the outbreak of the earth's crust sagged into the cavities including incurred and pushes the remaining magma in the columns. The magma solidified to form the many hills that dominate the landscape today.
The Pilanesberg has a diameter of about 25 kilometers. Its structure and the rocks that can be found there, are very rare. Particularly common are the two minerals orthoclase and nepheline.
In Pilanesberg alkaline complex occur montane economically interesting concentrations of zirconium, niobium, tantalum and rare earth metals.
Traffic
Which is used annually by about 40,000 passengers and has a 2750 meter long paved runway and landing strip in the immediate neighborhood on the southeast edge of the park of Pilanesberg International Airport (: NTY, ICAO code FAPN IATA code ) is.
The airport was built in 1981 by the government Bophuthatswanas to meet the increasing number of tourists to the National Park and Sun City justice.