Phalaborwa, South Africa Tourism

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administrative and recreational center of a mining area which has massive deposits of phosphates, copper and iron. Zirconium, vermiculite, mica and gold are also worked in the area. Some 2000 million years ago tectonic movements in the earth's crust forced a great mass of magma to the surface, creating a treasure house of minerals which has brought prosperity to the region. The rich mineral deposits were already being worked in prehistoric times, as is evidenced by a nearby excavation site in the Kruger National Park.

Phalaborwa's wide streets are lined by trees and gardens; but this is only one side of the picture. The mining areas on the outskirts of the town are like a lunar landscape. A man-made crater with a greater diameter than Kimberley's Big Hole reaches down to well below sea level. The sulfur which is a by-product of the copper-mining process gives the earth a yellowish tinge.