Table Mountain

Theodore Simpson
this is my second blog for geog 326ol.

this is the flag of cape town. That swirly white design on it is Table Mountain. It over looks Cape Town as a famous landmark.

Geologic features
Highest point 3,558 ft
Mostly Sandstone rock
It is Precambrian time and is believed to be one of the oldest mountains.

I am discussing more of the interesting features about Table Mountain then the whole history of it. My goal is to keep you interested while being informed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsiDLDmWZQE&feature=related
i posted this video to give you a visible experience of what it is like being at Table Mountain.

Table Mountain has some awesome Plants and animals.
The animal that I was most interested in was the Dassie/Hyrax.
It is called Dassie in South Africa. They are all over the Place at Table Mountain.

http://en.bestpicturesof.com/rock%20dassie

http://www.african-safari-journals.com/ithala.html

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2008/04/dassie.php

It is a decedent of the elephant. They are very comfortable around people but are similar to squirrels in the term of don’t feed them or try to pet them (Watch the video of one of them scaring a Baboon). they seem to be pretty friendly around people can bite. They are quite a bit larger then a squirrel. (Up to 20inches long and up to 8lbs). Their skin is really tough so many hunters try to hunt them to make rugs. This and urban expansion are disturbing their populations. They eat grass and leaf plants but sometimes chose insects. They spend 95% of their time basting in the sun or sleeping. They also have thermo regulation where they can regulate their temperature.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Hyrax#Feeding_and_foraging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2NVu6F-eV4&feature=related

WATCH THIS VIDEO.

angulate tortoise

this tortoise can be seen while hiking. it is your run of the mill tortoise.
http://www.cape-hike.co.za/animals/

Ghost Frog

http://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/species_info.php?id=561

This frog is an endangered species and only located on Table Mountain.
they are most frequently seen in the caves but streams at times. it is located in the eastern/southern portion of the mountain.

Plants

Interesting flora(Delicate Brush) facts

Close to 1500 plant species are found on Table Mountain
There are 500 different types of erica to be found on the mountain
Iris species number around 100
The Table Mountain National Park has the richest single floristic area on the planet
There are six recognized floral kingdoms – the Antarctic, Australasian, Boreal, Neotropic, Palaeotropic and Cape. The Cape has the highest known concentration of plant species – 1,300 per 10,000km2
The Cape Peninsula has in excess of 2,500 fynbos species
Many local plant species are being forced to the brink of extinction by invasive alien species including the wattle and pine
There are more than 350 paths up to the top of Table Mountain
Fynbos needs fire to promote healthy growth
Frequent fires burn young plants before they grow seeds, paving the way for the extinction of weaker species
Common garden plants like geraniums and freesias have their origin in fynbos
FYNBOS Plant

"Fynbos consists of four primary plant groups: Proteas (large broad-leafed shrubs), ericas (low-growing shrubs), restios (thin reed-like plants) and geophytes (bulbs."

these plants are very vulernable to fires and foot traffic. many of them are becoming distinct. it is interesting because they depend on fires to let other plants grow.

http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/activities/nature_lovers/

Birds

This is a list of birds that can be viewed on the mountain

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Verreaux’s eagle (black eagle) (Aquila verreauxii)
Jackal buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)
Steppe buzzard (Buteo buteo vulpinus)
Rock kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Grey-backed cisticola (Cisticola subruficapilla)
Lesser double-collared sunbird (Nectarina chalybea)
Cape siskin (Pseudochloroptila totta)
Karoo prinia (Prinia maculosa)
Cape rock thrush (Monticola rupestris)
Cape sugarbird (Pomerops cafer)
Orange-breasted sunbird (Nectarina violacea)
Malachite sunbird (Nectarina famosa)
Ground woodpecker (Geocolaptes olivaceus)
Somber bulbul (Andropadus importanus)
Olive thrush (Turdis olivaceus)
Cape batis (Batis capensis)
Dusky flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta)
Paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)
Cinnamon dove (Aplopelia larvata)
African wood owl (Strix woodfordii)
Rufous-breasted sparrowhawk (Accipter rufiventris)
African goshawk (Accipiter tachiro)
Knysna warbler (Bradypterus slyvaticus)

there are so many that a review on each one is too much.


http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/activities/nature_lovers/

Snakes

the Cape cobra, puff adder, boomslang, rinkhals and berg adder are five snakes that are very venomous. there are more then 20 species of snakes on table mountain. They are some pretty gnarly snakes. they aren't like boa or anacondas in places like Congo but pack some venom.

this is what the bite of the Berg Adder can do

http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2504,46748.asp
this is after multiple surgeries and skin graphing. the venom can be very potent.
Cape Cobra

http://capetownconservation.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/rinkhals-table-mountain/

this is present on the rocky side of the mountain.

I had to post this video because I thought that it was pretty awesome that little ground squirrels weren't scared and were fast enough to get away. (this is a video of tablle mountain but has the cape cobra in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYqJRf0YD0o&feature=related
Puff Adder

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18085433@N06/2172792023/

These Snakes aren't as exotic in my opinion as many of the ones seen on tv. i was interested because most of these are only located in south africa. Like other snakes they do not bite unless they are bothered.

Photography

It is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world. This naturally comes from the scenery that it has. Most of the pictures are taken from far away to show the whole mountain. Many photos can be taken on the journey up in the cable car or up top for scenic views. They can also be taken of wildlife on the hike up. The cable cars long amount of opening hours allows photographer to capture sunsets. when the sun is rising and setting, it provides the best light for photography. There is also a huge amount of plants that photographers can see. throughout the blog there are a lot of photos that are ver artistic.

http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/activities/photographers/

Because it is so close to the coast it makes an amazing composition of multiple features that are unique in one photo. the photos of the mountain are usually taken from beaches near Milnerton or Blaauwberg. this is done so Devils peak, Table mountain, Lion's head and signal hill are all visible. when people visit cape town and are taking pictures, they almost alway include one of table mountain.
http://knol.google.com/k/a-photographer-s-guide-to-table-mountain#

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/files/2011/11/table_mountain-1.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/groups/tablemountainsouthafrica/pool/with/6471243625/

http://knol.google.com/k/a-photographer-s-guide-to-table-mountain#

http://knol.google.com/k/a-photographer-s-guide-to-table-mountain#

http://knol.google.com/k/a-photographer-s-guide-to-table-mountain#
a HDR photo from the Ocean

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4055/4543370889_ae71ae82fd_z.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63237959@N04/6338479759/sizes/l/in/pool-1258638@N25/

Tourism

This is a large tourist attraction for many visiting south Africa.


New Cable Car

http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionswc/table-mountain.htm

Old Cable Car

http://www.capetownskies.com/slides/cable_car_cliffsd.jpg

Cable car
The original idea was a roadway that would cost £100 000 in 1912. World War 2 in 1914 stopped it. in 1926 a Norwegian engineer Trygve Stromsoe proposed the building of a cableway to the council. he gained interest of investors that eventually formed Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) to finance construction. A cable way was decided to be the best option. it finally opened October 4 1929. the cost was £60 000 and it took a little over 2 years to build.
http://tablemountain.net/about/the_table_mountain_aerial_cableway/

It was then upgraded starting in January 1997 and reopened October 4 1997
They improved the machinery and upgraded the restaurants. The cable line had new carts with a rotating floor. the cable system made it possible for any individual to get to the Top of table mountain and see some of the most amazing views in the world. To this day, the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway has a proud history of being totally accident-free.

Taken from-http://tablemountain.net/about/table_mountain_aerial_cableway_company/The Cableway has transported over 20-million people to the summit of Table Mountain.
Each of the two cable cars can carry 65 people.
More than 800 people can enjoy the trip every hour.
The floor of the circular cabin rotates to allow travellers 360° views.
The cable cars’ circular shape ensures excellent aerodynamics and stability.
Approximately 800 000 visitors from all over the world use the Cableway annually.
Tickets can be bought online from anywhere in the world.
The cable cars travel at a maximum speed of 10m per second.
The cable cars take four to five minutes to reach the top of the mountain.
Each of the Cableway’s cables is 1200m in length.
The cables weigh 18 tonnes and are attached to counter-weights weighing 134 tonnes each.
The cable car base is a water tank with a 4000l capacity. This provides fresh water for visitors, and is used as ballast in windy conditions.
The cable cars can carry up to 5 200kg each.
There are only two other such cable cars in the world; one in Titlis in Switzerland, and the other in Palm Springs in the United States.
The cable cars take visitors 704m, from the lower station at 363m above sea level, to the upper station, at 1067m above sea level.
http://tablemountain.net/about/table_mountain_aerial_cableway_company/

Some of the Restaurants

http://www.terra-nova.co.za/wp-content/uploads/table-mountain1.jpg

The restaurants help produce a more pleasurable stay for the tourist after a long day seeing the Mountain.


http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionswc/table-mountain.htm

Hiking

Hiking
The hike is only 3km to the top but it is rough for the distance. It is very steep. The cable car offers one-way trips for hikers only wanting to go up or down. During the hike an individual can experience the landscape and animals close up on their scenic route. (look for the nature post). Here is a map of the trail.

http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/activities/hiking/


Rock climbing- only traditional rock climbing is allowed where no permanent pieces are inserted into the rock. It is more dangerous but I personally this is a good limitation because it keeps the location natural. It also brings in more experienced rock climbers that know what they are doing. Sandstone is what the mountain is mostly made of. This is a nice rock to use for climbing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_climbing
Caving
Most caves are formed in limestone. The caves in Table Mountain are unusually different because they are in sandstone. Wynberg Caves are the largest caves present. The caves are mostly located at the back of the table.
http://www.capetown-traveladviser.com/caving-in-cape-town.html

Weather averages

Monthly averages
Month Temperature Precipitation
Average Daily Maximum Average Daily Minimum Average Monthly
(mm) (in respective order
January 26 °C 16 °C 15 mm
February 27 °C 16 °C 17 mm
March 25 °C 14 °C 20 mm
April 23 °C 12 °C 41 mm
May 20 °C 9 °C 69 mm
June 18 °C 8 °C 93 mm
July 18 °C 7 °C 82 mm
August 18 °C 8 °C 77 mm
September 19 °C 9 °C 40 mm
October 21 °C 11 °C 30 mm
November 24 °C 13 °C 14 mm
December 25 °C 15 °C 17 mm
Year 22 °C 11 °C 515 mm
This climatological information represents the normal values and according to World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) prescripts, based on monthly averages for the 30 year period 1961-1990.
http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/weather_and_webcam/

Local Schools

The Cableway runs a program for South African schools during the school year and holidays.

Class in the clouds started In 2001. 150,000 people have participated in it since it has started.

http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/activities/schools/

http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/activities/schools/

50 Interesting things about Table Mountain

Taken Directly from
http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/did_you_know/

1
Table Mountain is one of 28 finalists in the International New7Wonders of Nature competition. Show your support and vote for Table Mountain.

2
The special cabling used for the Cableway is Swiss-made, high-tech, full-lock coil, designed to keep moisture out while retaining internal lubrication.

3
There are actually two cable cars, which counterbalance each other – as one goes up, the other comes down. They cannot operate independently of each other.

4
A siren sounds to announce the imminent closure of the top station as a result of high winds approaching.

5
Lions and leopards once roamed wild on Table Mountain.

6
The last lion was sighted on Table Mountain in 1802.

7
It took nearly 40 years of discussion and planning, plus interruptions by two wars, before the first Table Mountain Cableway opened for business on October 4, 1929.

8
Although it resembles a small rabbit, the dassie (rock hyrax) is actually most closely related to the elephant. Their evolutionary relationship is based on similarities in their feet and teeth.

9
The cable cars take visitors 704m, from the lower station at 363m above sea level, to the upper station, at 1067m above sea level.

10
Dassies’ soles are kept moist by special glands. They are able to climb smooth cliffs using their feet as suction pads.

11
The Table Mountain ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei) is a critically endangered species endemic to the eastern and southern slopes.

12
The five most venomous snakes found on the mountain are the Cape cobra, puff adder, boomslang, rinkhals and berg adder.

13
The male agama lizard is a particularly interesting sight during mating season, when its head turns bright blue.

14
The height of the Upper Cableway Station is 1067m above sea level.

15
The cable cars travel at a maximum speed of 10m per second.

16
Table Mountain, a World Heritage Site, is the natural home to fynbos, a unique, yet endangered, collection of shrubs and plants.

17
Compare the upper ramparts of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head and you will note similar rock layers – the remnants of strata pushed up 280 - 220-million years ago and concertina-ed into a massive range. It once stood thousands of metres high, connecting the Peninsula to the Hottentots Holland Mountains (to the east) and covering the present-day Cape Flats and False Bay. Massive erosion has reduced this range to what you now see.

18
Three rock formations make up the Cape Peninsula. These are the Malmesbury group (mudstone and sandstone), Cape granite (white feldspar, black mica and grey quartz) and the Table Mountain group. The Table Mountain group includes the Graafwater formation – red and purple sandstone and mudstone; the Peninsula formation – grey, pebbled sandstone, and the Pakhuis formation, which forms the top of the mountain (glacial deposits of sandstone pebbles).

19
The Cape has the highest known concentration of plant species – 1 300 per 10 000km squared.

20
Within the Table Mountain National Park lies the richest single floristic area on the planet.

21
Although runaway fires threaten the survival of young fynbos, mature vegetation is actually dependent on fire for seed dispersal and new growth.

22
Table Mountain is approximately 260-million years old. By comparison, the Andes are about 250-million years old, the Rockies are about 60-million, the Himalayas are 40-million and the Alps are 32-million years old.

23
Cape Town enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. January, February, March, November and December average the lowest monthly rainfall.

24
Summer temperatures may hit the 35ºC mark, while winter temperatures have been known to drop as low as -1ºC. It even occasionally snows on Table Mountain.

25
South Africa boasts the third-highest level of biodiversity in the world, and is the only country to contain an entire floral kingdom. The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of the country’s eight World Heritage sites.

26
Two of the world’s oceans meet off the tip of the Cape Peninsula: the warmer Indian Ocean on the east and the colder Atlantic Ocean on the west.

27
The top of Table Mountain is flat, and the thick, white mist that often drapes it, is called the “tablecloth”.

28
At 1085m (3559ft), Maclear’s Beacon is the highest point on Table Mountain. A large stone cairn – built by Sir Thomas Maclear in 1844 – marks the exact spot.

29
You can abseil down Table Mountain under the guidance of abseiling experts.

30
There are only three Rotair cable cars in the world: one in Switzerland, one in the United States and the cable car in South Africa.

31
Table Mountain’s cloudy “tablecloth” is the stuff of legends: one tells of the San Mantis god smothering a blaze on the slope with a huge white karos (animal pelt). Another says the cloud comes from a smoking contest between the Devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks.

32
The south-easterly winds that are forced over the neck between Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain can reach speeds of up to 130km/h (81mi/h). They clear Cape Town of its smog and heat – hence the name, The Cape Doctor.

33
The Cableway is the only South African attraction operator to have received the ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation. This is awarded by the South African Bureau of Standards and is one of the highest international standards of environmental management.

34
Prehistoric people first left evidence of their lives on Table Mountain more than 600 000 years ago.

35
Table Mountain features several rare sandstone cave systems (most caves occur in limestone), the largest of which are the Wynberg Caves.

36
The cable car’s base is filled with water, and serves as a ballast in windy conditions.

37
Many visiting presidents, a piano, a few dogs and local and international celebrities have travelled on the Cableway.

38
Celebrities to have visited Table Mountain include Oprah Winfrey, Forrest Whitaker, Sting, Queen Elizabeth, Tina Turner and Skunk Anansie.

39
The constellation, Mensa, was named after Table Mountain by French astrologer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1754. Lacaille studied the southern sky from the top of Table Mountain. The brightest star in the Mensa constellation is Alpha Mensae. Table Mountain is the only mountain in the world to have a constellation named after it.

40
The indigenous inhabitants of the Cape, the Khoekhoe (pronounced and popularly referred to as Khoikhoi), called Table Mountain Hoerikwaggo, meaning “sea mountain”.

41
In 1503, Admiral Antonio de Saldanha anchored his fleet in the bay, climbed the mountain via Platteklip Gorge, and named it Taboa do Cabo, “Table of the Cape”.

42
On World Environment Day in 1998, then President Nelson Mandela declared Table Mountain “a gift to the Earth”.

43
In June 2004, the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is the smallest and richest on Earth, and is home to an amazing 8200 plant species, was recognised as a Natural World Heritage Site.

44
Dassies were revered by the San as the incarnation of their Mantis god’s wife.

45
By the late 1870s, several of Cape Town’s more prominent citizens had suggested the introduction of a railway line to the top of Table Mountain, but the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War put a halt to the plans.

46
Construction of the Cableway was first started in 1926, with it officially opening in 1929.
The first cable car – with a tin roof and wooden sides – was officially opened to the public on October 4, 1929. It carried 20 passengers.

47
The Cableway’s revolving cars carry 65 passengers. Famous visitors over time have included Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, King George VI, the Queen Mother and Sir Edmund Hillary.

48
Many large animals, including the extinct Cape lion and quagga, as well as leopard, wild dog, hippo, rhino and even elephant, ranged across the Cape Peninsula just a few hundred years ago.

49
Three blockhouses were built on Table Mountain in 1796, during the first British Occupation of the Cape. Two are now in ruins, but the third, the King’s Blockhouse, on the slopes of Devil’s Peak and above the Rhodes Memorial, is still in relatively good condition.

50
The Cableway has transported over 20-million people to the summit of Table Mountain.
http://tablemountain.net/visitor_info/did_you_know/