BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE– Eswatini is increasingly becoming a home for the world’s oldest scientific wonders.
Within two months of publishing that Eswatini was the home of one of the oldest mathematical artefacts in the world, the A-Z Animals website has unveiled that Eswatini homes the oldest mountain ranges in the world.
Known as the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains, the mountain range lies in between South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini.
According to the wildlife discovery website, the oldest mountain ranges in the world are incredible examples of how the planet’s surface has evolved over billions of years. These ancient mountains are often heavily eroded, some no longer visible on the surface. Yet, they still tell us so much about the geological history of our planet.
“The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains are the oldest mountain range on Earth. With an estimated age of 3.5 billion years, these mountains represent some of the most ancient landscapes on the planet. Scientists believe this mountain range, which spans about 40 per cent of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, is the result of meteorites.
“The Makhonjwa Mountains are home to an abundance of ancient sedimentary and volcanic rock prized for its age and diversity. These mountains are so old that the study of their geology helps scientists understand how Earth’s earliest continents formed,” explained the website.
Though described as the one of oldest mountain range in the world, it is said to be nowhere near the tallest. The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains are a combination of small mountains, hills, and valleys. And the highest elevation along this range is only about 5 900 feet.
When sought for comment, Eswatini renowned Environmentalist, who also won Year 2022 Scientist of the Year, Dr Wisdom Dlamini confirmed A-Z Animal’s article, stating that a portion of the mountain range lay in Eswatini.
Dlamini stated that some of the old remains of earliest from of life which also proved that there was an ocean along the mountain range were discovered.
“The South African side of the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains have turned it into a World Heritage Site,” briefly commented Dlamini.
The country’s renowned Archaeologist, Bob Forrester, said he was aware that there was earliest form of life at the said mountains which were about 3.2 to 3.5 billion years.
He said the mountain ranges in the country lay along Malolotja and Bulembu.
More reads on the mountains:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/en/list/1575
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148488/the-ancient-baberton-makhonjwa-mountains
