Human Attributes

History of Kloppies

MK is divided into three sectors, the East, Central and West.

Central is the oldest and is turned into a heritage site whereby dogs, fire making, and camping are not allowed.

The West part is the largest part and it used for the church whereby 20 African churches congregate there

It is also used by local Residence

The East Part previously owned by Louw Geldenhuys, was used for leisure purposes as it had a great view.

The Central part is used for educational tours as there are old schools and helps in illustrating the theory of evolution

Mzilikazi and the Pioner Stekker Afrikaans had a war and almost destroyed the place.

Continuing

Its geology goes back three billion years ago, stone tools show that early stone age men camped there

There is a late stone age living floor within the last thousand years

Iron age immigrants arrived and remains of the Kraal walls and can be found on the Northern slope.

Melville Kloppies is the first national heritage site to be declared a nature reserve.

One of the most natural settings in Johannesburg

In spring, delicate flowers bloom in winter Highveld grasses are prominent.

Plant Life

Scientist minimize Alkaline salt because some plants require low alkaline PH level.

Decrease the high number of people coming in at once as that degrades the area and kills the plants

Practise mulching to protect the leaves from loosing moisture and also protect the roots from freezing

Furthermore, it also prevents the growth of weeds

Some of the challenges

Problems of MK central has been the theft of plants, especially pineapple flowers bulbs and the bark of the Ziziphus Mucronate

Normal traffic flows except during peak hours

People who visit Koppies

Researchers visit the nature reserve for a great deal of researching since 1920, more than 100 papers have been written about this site

About 20 African churches congregate at Melville Koppies

Local residence also use the area

Tourist visit the area for hiking purposes

THE GEOLOGY OF MELVILLE

KOPPIES

BRIEF HISTORY THE RESERVE IS RELATIVELY SMALL BUT IT

CONTAINS VERY OLD AND COMPLEX FORMATIONS. IT LIES ON THE KAAPVAAL CRATON,ONE OF THE

EARLIEST PIECES OF LAND ON EARTH. THE KAAPVAAL CRATON FORMED ABOUT 3.5

BILLION YEARS AGO. IT HAS A GREENSTONE BASE THAT IS OVER 3

BILLION YEARS OLD MAKING IT THE EARTH’S OLDEST ROCK FORMATION

A 2.9 BILLION YEARS OLD GRANITIC ROCK RESTS ON TOP OF THE GREENSTONE.

IT REPRESENTS MOST OF THE FEATURES ON THE WITSWATERSRAND SUPER GROUP

GEOLOGIC FEATURES

THIS CAVE IS ALSO FOUND AT ITS FOOT WHERE LATE STONE AGE ARTIFACTS WERE FOUND ALONG WITH OTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEATURES.

IT IS A FISSURE FORMED BETWEEN A 2.9 BILLION YEARS OLD QUARTZITE ROCK

FOR YEARS THIS CAVE HAS PROVIDED SHELTER FOR PEOPLE LIVING AROUND THE AREA

GEOLOGIC FEATURES

ON ONE SIDE OF THE KOPPIES ONE CAN SEE WHERE THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE ORANGE GROVE QUARTZITE LIES UPON THE GRANITOID BASEMENT FORMING AN UNCONFORMITY

THE PLACE WHERE THE TWO ROCK TYPES MEET SHOWS THAT A PERIOD OF VIOLENT TECTONIC ACTIVITY TOOK PLACE SOME YEARS LATER THRUSTING THE QUARTZITE AGAINST THE BASEMENT AND SHATTERING THE GRANITE WHICH RESULTED ON A LAYER OF METAMORPHOSED GRANITIC ROCK CALLED A SCHIST.

GEOLOGIC FEATURES

RIPPLE MARKS ON SOME OF THE ROCKS SERVE AS EVIDENCE OF THE INLAND LAKE THAT ONCE COVERED THE AREA

GEOLOGIC FEATURES

ANOTHER LANDMARK ON MELVILLE KOPPIES WEST IS THE HIGH QUARTZITE CLIFF AT THE NORTH-WESTERN BOUNDARY WHICH IS NOW BEING USED AS A PRACTICE CLIMB BY THE MOUNTAIN CLUB

THESE CLIFFS CONTAIN PURE QUARTZ VEINS AND GOLD BEARING CONGLOMERATE REEFS.

The climate of the Melville koppies nature reserve

How the climate plays an important role in the blooming of the flowers and certain trees found in the Melville koppies nature reserve

Seasons and weather conditions.

oDifferent seasons results in the blooming of different flowers.

oThe slopes found at the Melville koppies have different plants due to the effects of temperature and seasons. The northern slope of the Melville koppies has more trees than the southern slope of the Melville koppies.

oThe Melville koppies has micro-environments, these micro-environments are there because different weather conditions have different impact on the Melville koppies nature reserve.

Blooming of different flowers in different seasons.

The pre-rain flowers are found at the Melville koppies and these flowers do not depend on rain but they depend on the warming of the soil.

The warming of the soil usually occur during the summer season. Through out the summer season the Melville koppies has wild flowers(e.g. wild gladiolus).

Before the first spring rain, the pre-rain flowers starts to bloom. These plants are geophytes and their vegetative bulk is large underground bulb which uses the summer rain to gather nutrients.

How the weather conditions results in different plants in different slopes. During winter the temperature drops and can results in frost.

The trees in the Melville koppies grow on the northern slope because it gets enough sunlight during winter and the northern slope is protected from frost.

As a result the northern slope is like a forest because it has so many trees.

The southern slopes are exposed to the winter frost so there is little tree cover.

Seasons and the kind of plants that grow at Melville koppies nature reserve During winter when it has not rained for months, alien species

develop on the east of koppies.

In winter the Highveld grasses are prominent.

Most grassland can be readily identified in summer, in late summer the grass is high and it starts to bloom like the pink grass.

During the dry seasons the koppies is brown and hardly have any grass.

Most flora bloom in spring.

During autumn the leaves turn brown and fall on the ground.

Temperatures in Melville koppies

The Melville koppies experiences dry winter and warm summer.

In winter, over the last 20 years the maximum temperature that has been recorded is 17.3 degree Celsius.

In summer the maximum temperature that has been recorded is 25.0 degree Celsius.

Frost days are predominant around June and July.

Rainy days are more prone around summer.

The picture showing the controlled burning of alien plantsDuring winter alien plants develop on the east of the koppies. The alien plants are burnt in order to stop them from spreading and competing with the indigenous plants for water and space.

The slope exposed to the frostThe southern slope has less trees because it is highly exposed to frost during winter.

The precipitation in Melville koppies per monthThe bar graph shows the percentage of precipitation in different months.

(the bar graph is from the weather statistic of Melville koppies, South Africa)

Animals and plant found at Melville

Melville is a mini-nature reserve and it is representation of most habitants even if on the a small scale. Thus there are grassland , rocky –hillsides , forest and river banks. Melville has been a venue for the bird ringers for many years and it has almost 164 birds species which include water associated birds flying over to ,and others from the emmaretia garden complex.

Mammals

Melville is also an ecological island when it is swept by fire small animals dies, and no replacement move in and there were many types of mammals such as African Hedgehog , African civet , lesser spotted genet, slender mongoose , yellow mongoose , rock elephant shrew, scrub hare, veil rat. E.g.( African civet ) is as big as small dog and it lives in thick bush where there is good cover wild fruit and water. It is most active at dawn and dusk, but it is solitary and moves silently and if it get disturbed it just freezes then suddenly bounds away. It feeds on insets , wild fruit, mice, small reptiles and birds and grass, this shows the complete food chain as other organisms feeds on each other.

Their uses

Melville it is also one of those reserve that have different types of plant which used for different things like there plants that provide food, medicine, traditional uses and utility purpose. E.g. lippie javanica for producing medicine, buddlesjas for fever and grewias to hill wound.