Ukumila Komhlaba Wase Richtersveld

Ukuqalisa Ukufudumala

©Jacques Marais

Kwizigidi ezili 100 zeminyaka eyadlulayo, ilizwekazi le Gondwanaland lathi chu ukusondela kummandla osemazantsi obandayo. Umhlaba kulendawo wawugqunywe ngumkhenkce. Iindawo ezihamba amanzi ezombiwa ngulomkhenkce zisekhona eGrasdrigt kufuphi nase Richtersveld National Park, kunye nase Nieuwoudtville.

Kwiminyaka engama 270 yezigidi eyadlulayo, lomhlaba wawusele umkile kummandla abandayo. Kwakusele kuqalisa ukufudumala. Imikhenkce yaqala ukunyibilika, ishiya ngasemva into ebizwa ngokuba liqela le Dwyka le tillites. Oku yaba kanti kukuqala kwe Karoo Supergroup, nenwenwela kubuninzi bomhlaba osembindini wo Mzantsi Afrika. Ezi ntsalela zemikhenkce zathi gqa gqa kummandla we Namaqualand, phezu kwamatye abizwa nge Nama Group.

Ukwahluka Kubini Komhlaba

©Shem Compion

Malunga naxesha nye nokushiyeka kwe Dwyka, umhlaba okulo mmandla wonke awuzange uzinze. Kulapho ke umhlaba we Gondwanaland waqala ukohluka kubini, ukuze kuphume amazwekazi ase Afrika kunye noMzantsi Melika. Oku ke kwadala kwadala ukusongana kwamatye nawathi adibana enza iintaba kummandla wonke. Njengenxalenye yolutshintsho, umhlaba omkhulu osezantsi wadaleka kummandla wase Karoo kwakunye nakwiindawo ezikumzantsi-mpuma zase Namaqualand.
Amaqela amatye abizwa nge Ecca kunye ne Beaufort aye ahlala kulomhlaba, kwaze kwadaleka into ebizwa nge Nama-Karoo biome. Ulwandle nalo lwatsha kwezinye iindawo, ze kwavela amabala, kunye nemilambo ehamba iye kugaleleka kwezindawo zinalamabala matsha. Oku kwabangela ukwakheka komlambo obizwa nge Fish River Canyon (Okwindawo yesibini ngobukhulu eMhlabeni, ulandela emva kwe Grand Canyon ese Melika). Ngeli xesha ke, ummandla wase Namaqualanda wawusele womile, kwaye amabala ebekade enolwandle aqala ukugqunywa yisanti.

Isixa seeDayimani

©Nigel J Dennis

Esinye isigaba esibalulekileyo senzeka malunga neminyaka ezizigidi ezingama 120 eyadlulayo, ngethuba iqela lemibhobho yentaba mlilo (volcanic) itshoveleka ngaphezulu komhlaba. Lemibhobho imile okwe fanele yayithwele isixa esininzi seedayimani, ezazihleli malunga nomgama ongama 250km phantsi komhlaba.
Obu bucwebe babukwilitye elikhethekileyo eliqhumkayo elibizwa nge Kimberlite. Kwisigidi seminyaka esilandela esi siganeko, lemibhobho ithwele ezi dayimani yakhukhuliswa yimilambo (ingakumbi umlambo I Orange River) ze ubutyebi obu menyezelayo bakhukuliseka busingise kwi Atlantic. Ezi dayimani zaye zayohlala ngakumlambi iOrange nasemlonyeni walomlambo. Owona mondlalo udeki wondlaleka phakathi kweminyaka ezizigidi ezingama 20 kunye ne 15 eyadluayo.

Malunga neminyaka ezizigidi ezilii 100 eyadlulayo uMzantsi Melika kunye ne Antarctica waqhekeka kwilizwekazi elibizwa nge Afrika namhlanje, laze eli lizwekazi (nelalikade lisembindini we Gondwana supercontinent) lashiyeka lirhangqwe ngamanzi. Oku kwabangela ukuba umphantsi welilizwe ushukume, kwaze kwadaleka umhlaba osezantsi wonxweme

Ummandla Onomthombo Wamanzi

Ngelixesha, lomlambo nowahamba wathiywa nge Orange (okanye!Gariep) wawusele ungowona mthombo wamanzi kulengingqi. Waqala emantla ase Lesotho wahamba wasingisa ngasentshona ukuya kungena kulwandle lwe Atlantic, kufuphi nendawo ebizwa nge Alexander Bay namhlanje. Malunga nezigidi ezingama 65 zeminyaka eyadlulayo, kwabakho uphazamiseko oluncinci lokumila komhlaba. Oku ke kwabangela ukuba umlambo iOrange utshintshe indawo ohamba kuyo. Wathi watshintsha indlela wasingisa emazantsi, wanqumla kwi Koa Valley ukuya kufikelela kwilandle le Atlantic. Kweli ityeli uhamba uya kuma kufuphi nomlambo obizwa nge Olifants River namhlanje.

Oku kuthetha ukuba izigidi zeetoni zegrabile ethwele idayimani yayikhukulisekela elwandle. Kodwa ke le dayimani yaphinda yakhukuliswa ngamaza abizwa nge Benguela current, anyukela ngasemntla. Izigidi ezingama 50 zeminyaka emva koko, kwaphinda kwabakho olunye uphazamiseko, nolwathi lwabangela ukuba lomlambo ubuyele kwindawo ubukade uhamba kuyo nenqumla eRichtersveld uye kuma e-Alexander Bay. Iziphumo zala mahla ndinyuka yabakukuba wonke umntla-ntshona wonxweme loMzantsi Afrika, kwakunye nonxweme oluse mazantsi lwase Namibia luzele zii dayimani.

Unxweme lwase Ntshona loMzantsi Afrika, lwaya lusoma emveni kwezigidi ezimbalwa zeminyaka. Intlango ebizwa nge Namib, neyenye yezona zindala, yasekwa phakathi kwezigidi ezingama 40 kunye neebhiliyoni ezingama 25 zeminyaka eyadlulayo. Ekugqibeleni, kwiminyaka ezizigidi ezintlanu eyadlulayo, iBenguela current ebandayo (nesuka kwilizwekazi leAntarctic) yayisele iyeyona mozulu igqubayo kule ngqingqi yomileyo. Oku kuhambelana nokutshintsha kwemozulu neyenza iNamaqualand ukuba itshintshe ekubeni yingingqi ebanemvula ehlotyeni, yaze yaba yingingqi ebane mvula ebusika.

Amabala Ayeno Lwandle aseNamaqualand

Utshintsho olungamandla lokugqibela lwaqala malunga neminyaka ezizigidi ezi 5 ezadlulayo, ngethuba unxweme lwase Namaqualand lwaphakamiseka. Oku kwaveza iinduli zolwandle nezazigqunywe zindidi ezahlukeneyo zesanti. Kwaye kukho izigidi ngezigidi ze dayimani ezazixubeke kule santi. Kwaye lemihlaba ye grabile iyombiwa mpela namhlanje. Kufuneka siqaphee ukuba lemihlaba namatye asephantsi kwamanzi asaqulathe idayimani, kwaye zona ke zitsalwa ngezikhitshane, nezithi zifunxe isanti zize ziyithuthele enyeleni ukuze iyokuthathwa idayimani.

Omnye umba wokugqibela esinokuwukhankanya: Amatye afike mva kulo mmandla afumaneka ecaleni komlambo iOrange River, nalapho amatye apakisheneyo ngenxa yokukhukuliseka kwamanzi. Amanye amatye asecaleni kwalomlambo anobude obungaphaya kwama 30, ukodlula amanzi. Oku kubonisa ezona zikhukula zakhe zazikhulu kumazantsi eAfrika. Xa kujongwa iminyaka yalamatye, kubonakala ukuba ezi zikhukhula zazikhona kwiminyaka engama 700 eyadlulayo. Oku kukwabonisa ukuba oku kungapinda kwenzeke kwakhona.

Umhlaba Ongafaniyo

Sele sifikelele esiphelweni seli bali, kwaye iziphumo kukumila komhlaba esikubonayo namhlanjje: Inyele ebandayo, ekwanamabala amakhulu esanti. Lamabala esanti ohlulwe kumbindi owomileyo oshushu, ziintaba eziliqela. Eneneni lendawo ingumnqa ngokuba nemihlaba engafaniyo, emi phezu kwamatye e volcanic, igneous, sedimentary kunye ne metamorphic.
Njengoko uFrancois Odendaal kunye no Helen Suich bebhalile kwincwadi yabo ngendawo yase Richtersveld, “Zimbalwa iindawo eMzantsi Afrika, apho unokufumana amatye ohlukeneyo ngokuhlobo. Kwaye ngalamatye azindidi ezahlukeneyo, kwakunye nokumila komhlaba okungafaniyo okwenza kuphile indalo eyahlukeneyo kulendawo yase Richtersveld. Ikwayiyo nebangela ukuba kukwazi ukukhula iindidi ezininzi ezahlukeneyo kulo mmandla."

Translated by Zizipho Silwana