Paarl Rock is a huge granite outcrop of intrusive igneous rock made up of three rounded domes, rising above the town of Paarl in South Africa's Western Cape. In 1657 the Dutch official Abraham Gabbema recorded seeing the rock glistening after a rainstorm and named it de Diamondt en de Peerlberg, Diamond and Pearl Mountain, the origin of the town's name Paarl. Its smooth, largely unfissured steep faces made the rock difficult to climb until modern bolting techniques were developed, and it has since become a popular rock-climbing destination. This entity documents Paarl Rock specifically as a geological formation, a granite dome complex that gave the town of Paarl its name. Its precise height and geological age are not stated in the source used for this pass and are recorded here as a gap.
Facts
Classification
Protected StatusNational Park or Reserve 1 In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, World Database on Protected Areas: WDPA protected areas at the location of Paarl Rock
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, World Database on Protected AreasWDPA feature: Paarl Mountain Nature ReserveQuote, WDPA feature: Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve
"desig_eng": "Nature Reserve"
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.