Hidden beauty of Zimbabwe's 2.5 billion-year-old 'geological marvel' revealed in striking astronaut photo — Earth from space

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A 2010 astronaut photo shows off the astonishing scale of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, which stretches over 340 miles (550 kilometers). The lengthy structure, which is not actually a dike, is full of extremely valuable minerals that fuel a massive mining industry.

An astronaut photo showing a section of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe
An unnamed astronaut on board the International Space Station snapped this striking photo of the southernmost section of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe. Parts of the structure have been offset from one another by tectonic movements since it formed 2.5 billion years ago. (Image credit: NASA/ISS program)
QUICK FACTS

Where is it? Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, central Zimbabwe [-18.6018258, 30.3435861]

What's in the photo? A massive, ancient rock formation that is rich in valuable metals

Who took the photo? An unnamed astronaut on board the International Space Station

When was it taken? Sept. 30, 2010

This intriguing astronaut photo reveals the hidden beauty of the expansive Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, a massive seam of ancient magmatic rock that's chock-full of valuable minerals.

Despite its name, the gigantic structure is not actually a dike — a vertical sheet of frozen magma that cuts through existing rock layers. Instead, it is a lopolith, which is similar to a dike but forms parallel to existing rock sheets and is both flatter and more lenticular, or saucer-shaped.

The Great Dyke is thought to be the longest continuous igneous intrusion, or structure of elevated magmatic rock, anywhere on Earth, according to the Zimbabwe Geological Survey.

The astronaut's snap shows the southernmost tip of the structure, around 78 miles (125 km) from Bulawayo. In 1983, astronauts on board the space shuttle Challenger also captured a striking photo of the structure's southern half, and in 2003, NASA's Terra satellite imaged the lopolith's entire length (see below).

A satellite photo showing the entire length of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe

NASA's Terra satellite snapped the entire length of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe (center right) in 2003. The structure is roughly 342 miles (550 kilometers) long. (Image credit: NASA/Terra)

Geologists think the lopolith formed around 2.5 billion years ago, when magma from Earth's mantle gradually seeped upward through tectonic plate faults. This means the structure has existed for more than half of Earth's roughly 4.5 billion-year history.

This magma was full of valuable minerals that are normally locked deep below Earth's crust, which has made the area a hotspot for mining. Today, there are at least half a dozen major mines along the lopolith's length, according to Mining Zimbabwe magazine.

The Great Dyke is full of important metals, including gold, nickel, copper, titanium, iron, vanadium and tin, according to the Earth Observatory.

Photo of workers in a mine in Zimbabwe

There are at least half a dozen mines located throughout the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, including the Darwendale project (photographed) near Harare. (Image credit: Godfrey Marawanyika/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, it is best known for its expansive platinum deposits, which are collectively the third largest of their kind on Earth, as well as its unusually pure chromite, which contains high levels of chromium — a key component in the production of stainless steel, according to Mining Zimbabwe.

The Great Dyke is also rich in rocks that are used for sculpting, "resulting in an artist's paradise akin to the Greek marble quarries," local artist Michael Nyakusvora wrote on their website.

"The Great Dyke of Zimbabwe is more than a line on a map — it's a lifeline of economic opportunity [and] a geological marvel," according to Mining Zimbabwe.

See more Earth from space

Harry Baker
Harry Baker
Senior Staff Writer

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won "best space submission" at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science's weekly Earth from space series.

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