Waterberg Biosphere

Waterberg (Thaba Meetse)
River gorge in the Lapalala Wilderness of the Waterberg showing horizontal sandstone layering
Highest point
Peak	Geelhoutkop
Elevation	1,830 m (6,000 ft)
Listing	List of mountain ranges of South Africa
Coordinates	24°4′30″S 28°8′30″E / 24.07500°S 28.14167°E / -24.07500; 28.14167Coordinates: 24°4′30″S 28°8′30″E / 24.07500°S 28.14167°E / -24.07500; 28.14167
Dimensions
Length	170 km (110 mi) NE/SW
Width	80 km (50 mi) NW/SE
Geography
Waterberg (Thaba Meetse)
Country	South Africa
Province	Limpopo
Geology
Orogeny	Kaapvaal Craton
Age of rock	Neoarchean to early Paleoproterozoic
Type of rock	Bushveld Igneous Complex, sandstone
Climbing
Easiest route	From the towns of Vaalwater or Bela-Bela

The Waterberg (Northern Sotho: Thaba Meetse) is a mountainous massif of approximately 14,500 square kilometers in north Limpopo Province, South Africa. The average height of the mountain range is 600 m with a few peaks rising up to 2000 m above sea level. Vaalwater town is located just north of the mountain range. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff and butte landform. The ecosystem can be characterised as a dry deciduous forest or Bushveld. Within the Waterberg there are archaeological finds dating to the Stone Age, and nearby are early evolutionary finds related to the origin of humans.

Waterberg (Thaba Meetse) is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

The underlying rock formation derives from the Kaapvaal Craton, formed as a precursor island roughly 2.7 billion years ago. This crustal formation became the base of the Waterberg, which was further transformed by upward extrusion of igneous rocks. These extruded rocks, containing minerals such as vanadium and platinum, are called the Bushveld Igneous Complex. The original extent of this rock upthrust involved about 250,000 square kilometers, and is sometimes called the Waterberg Supergroup.