Lion's Head (Cape Town)
Lion's Head is a mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, between Table Mountain and Signal Hill.[1] Lion's Head peaks at 669 metres (2,195 ft) above sea level. The peak forms part of a dramatic backdrop to the city of Cape Town and is part of the Table Mountain National Park.[2]
Geology, flora and fauna
[change | change source]The upper part of the peak consists of flat-lying Table Mountain sandstone and the lower slopes are formed by the Cape Granite and the Malmesbury formation, which are older Precambrian rocks.[3]
Lion's Head is covered in fynbos (indigenous Cape vegetation), with an unusually rich biodiversity that supports a variety of small animals. Three main vegetation types can be found in this relatively small area. All three of them are endemic to the city of Cape Town and can be found nowhere else. Most of Lion's Head is covered in endangered Granite Fynbos, which fades into Peninsula Shale Renosterveld (critically endangered) on the lower slopes towards Signal Hill in the north. Right on the summit of Lion's Head however, is a tiny patch of endangered Sandstone Fynbos, a different ecosystem that is also found nearby on the top of Table Mountain.[4][5]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Spargo, Peter (June 2015). "The Lion's Head Gold Mine". Bulletin of the National Library of South Africa. 69 (1). Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ↑ "Lion's Head: Full Moon Hike". Cape Town Magazine. Archived from the original on February 3, 2007.
- ↑ "Cape Granite Fynbos. Cape Town Biodiversity Factsheets" (PDF).[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Peninsula Shale Renosterveld. Cape Town Biodiversity Factsheets" (PDF).[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos. Cape Town Biodiversity Factsheets" (PDF).[permanent dead link]