World 🢖 Africa 🢖 South Africa 🢖 Mpumalanga
Waterfalls 🢔 Geological wonders 🢔 Categories of wonders
Wonder
Kadishi Waterfall
In short
The unusual Kadishi Waterfall is one of the tallest waterfalls over the tufa formations in the world.
42.5%
GPS coordinates
Location, address
Alternate names
Height
Drops
Stream
Map of the site
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.
In detail
Description of falls
Kadishi Waterfall is one of many tourist attractions in the gorgeous Blyde River Canyon (Motlatse Canyon) that is up to 750 m deep. This forested, lively canyon is meandering through quartz arenite cliffs of the Black Reef Quartzite Formation and Wolkberg Group – some 2.5 – 2.6 billion years old rocks.
Kadishi River before its fall into Blyde is flowing through dolomite layers. Over many thousands of years, the water of Kadishi dissolved the lime. When the water with lime reaches the rim of the canyon and falls through the air, the lime is deposited again and over thousands of years, it has formed a weird tufa cliff.
This unusual formation is a good example of pareidolia – the cliff face with the falling water from some points of view resembles a giant weeping skull.
Often it is mentioned that Kadishi Waterfall is the second-tallest tufa waterfall in the world – unfortunately without mentioning which one is the tallest one. An impressive contender for this title could be the gorgeous Anisakan Falls (Dat Taw Gyaik Falls) in Burma which are some 320 m tall.
References
- Richard Viljoen, Morris Viljoen, Carl Anhaeusseer. Africa’s Top Geological Sites. 2016. ISBN-10: 177584448X
Linked articles
Wonders of South Africa
South Africa is extremely rich in unusual archaeological and natural monuments. Highlights are the rich finds of rare minerals, unique ecosystems, finds of the first humans, and some great waterfalls.
Waterfalls
Some of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring natural monuments are waterfalls or locations where a river abruptly changes its elevation.
Spring tufa, travertine, and other formations
This category includes very diverse landmarks that have one thing in common: all of them are created by springs that are depositing chemical sediments – silica, carbonates, salt, or other chemical compounds.
Recommended books
Geological Journeys: A traveller’s guide to South Africa’s rocks and landforms
How often have we wondered about the jaunty tilt of a mountain ahead, the unusual patterns of a road cutting, the color and texture of the roadside soil, or the purpose of a distant minehead? This handy volume offers answers and explanations about features along all the major routes across South Africa, and some of the lesser, but geologically interesting, routes too.
Africa’s Top Geological Sites
Africa is home to more than the Cradle of Humankind. It was the core of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea and comprises some of the oldest and most extraordinary geology on planet Earth. This detailed and colorful book features 44 of the continent’s most spectacular and interesting ‘geosites’, from Table Mountain in the south to the eroded necks and plugs of the Hoggar region in Algeria; and from the volcanic islands of the Atlantic Ocean to the continental fragments off the African east coast.