Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is 1084.6 meters (3,563-feet) tall, of sandstone and granite. With nearby mountains and Table Bay, it surrounds the central part of Cape Town.

Table Mountain, seen here from the north, is flanked by Devil's Peak, left, and Lion's Head, right.

Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain—Landsat image. Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, appear in the foreground. The city center is at Table Bay (lower left), next to Table Mountain. The large bay facing right (South) is False Bay.^[1]

It is a significant tourist attraction, featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia.^[2] Many visitors use the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway or hike to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

Geology

The upper part of the mountain mesa (table) consists Silurian/Ordovician quartzitic sandstone, commonly referred to as Table Mountain Sandstone (TMS). It is highly resistant to weathering and forms steep grey crags.

Below the sandstone is a layer of micaceous shale, which weathers quite readily. The basement of folded metamorphic shales intruded by the Cape Granite are of late Precambrian age.^[3][4]