Vingerklip

Vingerklip is a freestanding rock needle in the Ugab River valley of northwestern Namibia, roughly 80 kilometers southwest of Outjo and 50 kilometers east of Khorixas. Its Afrikaans name means Rock Finger. The pillar rises about 35 meters above its base, which measures roughly 44 meters around, and its summit sits at an elevation of 929 meters above sea level. It is built from Tertiary-age sedimentary deposits, chiefly carbonated sandstones and conglomerates, laid down by ancient forerunners of the Ugab river system. The needle is an erosion remnant: it is the surviving fragment of a much broader rock layer that once extended across the valley, standing as much as 160 meters above the present valley floor where the surrounding rock has since worn away. Since the collapse of the nearby Mukurob formation, Vingerklip has become the most widely recognized natural rock landmark in Namibia.