Spandau kop
The dolerite hill of 1315m high south of Graaff Reinet is known as Spandau kop. The koppie was named by a Prussian (later German) soldier, Werner. He said the hill reminded him of the Spandau Citadel, a fort in Berlin (Germany).
Henry Lichtenstein writes about Spandau mountain/kop with his accounts of their experience on their way to Graaff Reinet and how they had to travel in the evening with their ox wagons to avoid the lions in the area.
The dolerite weathers much more slowly than sedimentary rocks. This leads to the formation of iconic erosion formations in the form of 'table mountains' with flat tops and sharp cone cups. Spandau Kop is a good example of such a cone-shaped cup.
Sources:
- Discovering Southern Africa - Author: T V Bulpin. Publishers: Discovering Southern Africa Productions cc, Muizenberg, 2001.
- Travels in Southern Africa in the years 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806 by Henry Lichtenstein Published by Becket and Porter, London, 1814
- https://www.mindat.org/loc-43089.html# (accessed 21 December 2023).
- https://sahris.sahra.org.za/sites/920330024 (accessed 21 December 2023)
- https://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/graaff_reinet_south_africa.514475.html (accessed 21 December 2023)