HomeAfricaThe Ultimate Natural Domes of Fabedougou
The Ultimate Natural Domes of Fabedougou
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The amazing weathered rocks in the village of Fabedougou, near Banfora, in south-western Burkina Faso Domes have an entirely different origin. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It covers an area of 274,200 square kilometers, and its capital is Ouagadougou.
The African country village of Fabedougou has around 1,000 people. The natural domes of Fabedougou very closely resemble the famous sandstone towers of Bungle Bungle Range in Australia, hardly half a million years old.
Like a stack of pancakes, the Domes de Fabedougou are a natural phenomena made of granite shaped by wind and erosion. The sandstone comprising the Domes of Fabedougou is approximately two billion years old, or Middle Proterozoic. But not the Domes of Fabedougou. A rock that is two billion years old would have typically undergone metamorphosis due to the intense heat and pressure produced by the Earth’s crust’s dynamic structure.
In spite of being very old, these sandstones have been hardly metamorphosed and are astonishingly young-looking. Keeping time in mind, it is surprising that they are so well preserved that some of these rocks even have ripples and dunes created by ancient water and wind flow.
These domes are actually ancient sand dunes. Geological experts say this entire area was once under a big ocean packed with free-flowing sediments. Some layers are extremely hard on others, so they are more protected from erosion.
Therefore, as time passed, the sediments settled down and compacted to form sedimentary rocks of different thicknesses. Although going through a process of weathering and fracturing, these rocks were molded into domes and craggy fingers pointing skyward. Differential weathering gives the rocks their layered look, with each layer weathering at a different rate depending upon their composition.
The magnificent, hauntingly beautiful Domes de Fabedougou are undisturbed, and better for their desolation, bar local cows and herders. They are there for the climbing, and there are some easy ascents up the cracked sides of the domes, which sit side by side like a series of enormous urey iuloos.
The amazing weathered rocks in the village of Fabedougou, near Banfora, in south-western Burkina Faso Domes have an entirely different origin.Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It covers an area of 274,200 square kilometers, and its capital is Ouagadougou.
The natural domes of Fabedougou very closely resemble the famous sandstone towers of Bungle Bungle Range in Australia, hardly half a million years old.The Domes de Fabedougou is a natural phenomenon of rock sculpted by wind and erosion like a stack of pancakes.The sandstones comprising the Domes of Fabedougou are approximately two billion years old, or Middle Proterozoic.
In spite of being very old, these sandstones have been hardly metamorphosed and are astonishingly young-looking.Geological experts say this entire area was once under a big ocean packed with free-flowing sediments.Therefore, as time passed, the sediments settled down and compacted to form sedimentary rocks of different thicknesses.
They are there for the climbing, and there are some easy ascents up the cracked sides of the domes, which sit side by side like a series of enormous urey iuloos.
