1. Etymology
     Inselberg    Monadnock  

2. Geology

3. Examples

4. Ecology

5. See also

6. Notes

7. References

8. External links

An inselberg or monadnock ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|n|æ|d|n|ɒ|k}}) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In southern and south-central Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an Afrikaans word ("little head") from the Dutch word kopje.^[2] If the inselberg is dome-shaped and formed from granite or gneiss, it can also be called a bornhardt, though not all bornhardts are inselbergs.

Etymology

Inselberg

The word inselberg is a loan word from the German word Inselberg, which has the literal meaning of "island mountain". The name was coined in 1900 by geologist Wilhelm Bornhardt (1864–1946) to describe the abundance of such features found in eastern Africa.^[3] At that time, the term applied only to arid landscape features. However, the term inselberg has since been used to describe a broader geography and range of rock features, leading to confusion about the precise definition of the term. In a 1973 study examining the use of the term, one researcher found that the term had been used for features in savannah climates 40% of the time, arid or semi-arid climates 32% of the time, humid-subtropical and arctic 12% of the time, and 6% each in humid-tropical and Mediterranean climates. As recently as 1972, the term has been defined as "steep-sided isolated hills rising relatively abruptly above gently sloping ground". This definition includes such features as buttes; conical hills with rectilinear sides typically found in arid regions; regolith-covered concave-convex hills; rock crests over regolith slopes; rock domes with near vertical sides; tors (koppies) formed of large boulders but with solid rock cores. Thus, the terms monadnock and inselberg may not perfectly match,^[4] though some authors have explicitly argued these terms are in fact completely synonymous.^[5]

Monadnock

Geology

Inselbergs are common in eroded and weathered shields.^[9] The presence of an inselberg typically indicates the existence of a nearby plateau or highland, or their remnants. This is especially the case for inselbergs composed of sedimentary rock, which will display the same stratigraphic units as this nearby plateau. However once exposed, the inselbergs are destroyed by marginal collapse of joint blocks and exfoliation sheets. This process leaves behind tors perched at their summits and, over time, a talus-bordered residual known as a castle koppie appears.^[10][11] By this association various inselberg fields in Africa and South America are assumed to be the vestiges of eroded etchplains.^[12][12]

Clusters of inselbergs, called inselberg fields and inselberg plains, occur in various parts of the world. These areas include Tanzania,^[13] the Anti-Atlas of Morocco,^[14] Northeast Brazil,^[15] Namibia,^[16] the interior of Angola,^[17] and the northern portions of Finland^[18][19] and Sweden.^[20]{{efn-ua|Albeit its not the usual way of describing it the strandflat of Norway was held by Julius Büdel to be an etchplain with inselbergs.^[21]}}

Ecology

The koppies of Eastern Africa tend to be a refuge for life in the Serengeti of Tanzania and Kenya. Where the soil is too thin or hard to support tree life in large areas, soil trapped by koppies can be dense with trees while the surrounding land contains only short grass. Hollows in the rock surfaces provide catchments for rainwater.^[26] Many animals have adapted to the use of koppies, including the lion, the hyrax, and an abundance of bird and reptile life.

See also

• {{annotated link|List of inselbergs}}
• {{annotated link|Mesa}}
• {{annotated link|Tuya}}
• {{annotated link|Caprock}}
• {{annotated link|Dissected plateau}}
• {{annotated link|Mogote}}
• {{annotated link|Sky island}}
• {{annotated link|Tableland}}

Notes

References

External links

• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Monadnock}}

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• Pelkey Lake
• Pelkhil School
• Pella (beetle)
• Pella carolina
• Pellaccia
• Pella (CDP), Wisconsin
• Pellacia
• Pella Corporation
• Pellaea calomelanos
• Pellaea fauriei
• Pellaea nivea
• Pellaea paradoxa
• Pella Formation
• Pellagramin
• Pellagrin
• Pellagrini Diamond
• Pella (modern)
• Pelland
• Pelland (disambiguation)
• Pella (NO)
• Pella, North West
• Pella (peripheral unit)
• Pella railway station
• Pellare