Africa’s Garden of Eden
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s main tourists’ attraction. It is the largest
and most scenic crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a large concentration of wildlife. It is also one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders due to its
breathtaking natural features. The Ngorongoro Crater is known as a home to over 25,000 animals, including the big five; elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions
and leopards.
Other animals found in this crater include hippos, hyenas, warthogs, zebras, elands, gazelles, wildebeests, just to name a few. This makes Ngorongoro Crater
probably the best site in Tanzania to spot and watch the big five as well as other wild species more easily.
The crater rim and its floor provide the best viewing and photographing opportunities. History records that the crater was the ideal spot on the planet where
humans and nature interacted more closely than anywhere else; and today, one can actually glance at the settlements and cemeteries of the area’s earliest occupants.
Geological records show that the cone of the volcanic caldera collapse inwards, forming what is currently known as a crater. The site is named after a
Maasai phrase, ‘orgirra le kkorongorro,’ which means “Big Bowl.” Earlier documentation of the area misspelled the word ‘kkorongorro’ into today’s Ngorongoro
with its intricate depth ‘caldera/crater,’ resulting in Ngorongoro Crater.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a peculiar geographical feature with diverse habitats such as grasslands, swamps, rivers, and woodlands; making it uniquely abundant in wildlife and vegetation. It is a natural formation that allows animals to freely wander in and out throughout the year and is well-known for being a better place where local and international tourists can interestingly observe wildlife behaviour more easily than any other place.
Geologically, the Ngorongoro Crater was formed approximately 2.5 million years ago when a massive volcano (nearly the size of the present-day Mt. Kilimanjaro)
burst and collapsed as a result of continuous tectonic activities and movements. The area covers almost 260 square kilometres, has a diameter of approximately
20 kilometres, and is a massive volcanic caldera that collapsed to a depth of 610 meters.
The Cradle of Mankind
The Olduvai Gorge is the most iconic archaeological site in East Africa and, doubtless, the world. The site was officially recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
For about three million years prior to the formation of the gorge, the region was a low area that was periodically occupied by a large, saline lake known as Lake Olduvai. Massive volcanic eruptions from the Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands to the south and east deposited massive amounts of volcanic ash and pumice (pyroclastic material) in and around the lake.
During this time, the lake and surrounding areas were home to some of our earliest hominid ancestors. The gorge formed around 30,000 years ago as a result of tectonic activity associated with the East African Rift, which resulted in the formation of the Olbalbal Depression to the east.
This allowed an existing river system, which originated in the west from Lake Ndutu, to begin aggressively cutting down through the numerous layers of volcanic ash and pumice, resulting in the formation of the gorge.
Olduvai Gorge is nearly 100 meters (328 feet) deep at its deepest point. Exposed within the sides of the gorge are remarkably rich chronicles of human ancestry and the evolution of the Serengeti ecosystem. It was here that Mary and Louis Leakey, over the course of more than 30 years of backbreaking work, unearthed the first well-dated fossils and artefacts of some of our earliest human ancestors. Their discoveries include the famous Zinjanthropus (Australopithecus boisei) skull as well as remains of Homo habilis, the presumed maker of the numerous early stone tools found in deposits ranging in age from 1.6 to 1.8 million years ago, and Homo erectus, the larger- bodied and larger-brained hominin that preceded the earliest modern humans (Homo sapiens).
Some excavation sites have been preserved for public viewing and present-day work continues during the dry seasons, coordinated by the NCAA Cultural Heritage Department. The gorge may be visited year-round. It is necessary to have an official guide to visit the actual excavations.
Laetoli Footprints
The Laetoli Footprint site is among the world’s most famous archaeological sites, providing indisputable evidence that bipedalism in human ancestors was achieved 3.6 million years ago. The site consists of hominin discovery sites, the hominid footprints complex and animal and bird footprints.
Laetoli has been excavated since 1938; however, it was in the 1970s that Laetoli became much appreciated when Mary Leakey turned her attention to the area. Shortly after, Mary and her team discovered numerous mammal fossil remains, including a well-preserved specimen of archaic Homo sapiens and a magnificent holotype (Australopithecus afarensis) a.k.a “Lucy”. In 1976, two members of her team fortuitously discovered the hominid footprints.
Subsequent excavation revealed that the footprints were made by three individuals walking in the same direction. This has led some to propose that they were walking as a group. In 1979, the footprints were re-buried for preservation. In 2014, two new sets of footprints were unearthed approximately 150 meters south of the old footprints site.
The two individuals were walking on the same surface and in the same direction as the three individuals at the old site, thus raising the possibility that more footprints may be discovered. Most researchers agree that Australopithecus afarensis is the hominid species that made the footprints at Laetoli.
Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano in the world to produce carbonatite lava, which is rich in calcium, sodium and carbon-dioxide, rather than the silica-rich lavas produced by almost all other volcanoes.
Ol Doinyo Lengai means “Mountain of God” in the Maasai language and it is sacred to the Maasai peoples. It is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 2,962
meters (9718 feet). It is the only active volcano in Tanzania and one of a select few that are still active in the East African Rift Zone. The volcano has erupted many times
since it first began to be observed by geologists. Major eruptions have occurred in 1880, 1914-15, 1926, 1940-41, 1958, 1960-66, 1983-93, 1994-98, 2007-8 and most
recently, 2013.
Several small earthquakes were reported by nearby residents during the 2013 eruption.
Ol Doinyo Lengai is unique among all active volcanoes on earth in that it often erupts lavas that consist primarily of sodium carbonate, otherwise known as carbonatite. All other volcanoes erupt lavas that are rich in silica. Due to this unusual composition, the lava erupts at fairly low temperatures of approximately 510 °C (950 °F).
This temperature is so low that the molten lava appears black in sunlight, rather than having the red glow common to most lavas. The sodium and potassium carbonate minerals that make up the lavas are unstable at the Earth’s surface and quickly turn from black to light grey to even white in colour. Some of these light-coloured lavas can be seen near the summit.
Interestingly, when the first European map makers worked in central East Africa, they identified three mountains topped by snow: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya and Ol Doinyo Lengai.
We now know that the “snow” on Ol Doinyo Lengai is actually the light-coloured carbonatite lava. Other carbonatite volcanoes exist in the world although none are active. The Fen volcanic province in Norway’s Gea Norvegica UNESCO Global Geopark (www.geoparken.com) contains the remains of a carbonatite volcano that was active over 580 million years ago.
The Geopark is home to some 30,000 large animals, mostly hooved (ungulates), and boasts the highest density of mammalian predators in Africa – including lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
It also supports one of the largest animal migrations on Earth, including zebras, Thomson and Grant gazelles, and over 1 million wildebeest. In addition, there are over 500 different species of birds in the Geopark, including flamingos, ostriches, and colourful lilac-breasted rollers.
The Geopark is also home to a wide variety of flora, ranging from giant trees in rain forests on the eastern flanks of the volcanic highlands to short grasses and thorny bushes in very arid areas. An array of wildflowers exists throughout the Geopark as well. Visitors to the Geopark will have opportunities to learn from local guides about the unique flora and fauna near their homes.
The jewel of the Geopark is Ngorongoro Crater (or caldera) which is one of the planet’s greatest natural wonders. It is the largest unbroken, inactive volcanic crater in the world. It measures from 16 to 19 km (10 to 12 miles) in diameter and reaches 610 m (2,000 ft) in depth.
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