The mountains of the Cape Peninsula, referred to as the Table Mountain Chain, formed when sand, silt and mud deposits were lithified by pressure and then folded during the Permian–Triassic Cape Orogeny to form the Cape Fold Belt, which extends along the western and southern coasts of the Western Cape. The form of the present Cape Peninsula is due to prolonged erosion having carved out deep valleys, removing the once-continuous Table Mountain sandstone cover from the Cape Flats and leaving high residual mountain ridges.

The sea covered the Cape Flats and Fish Hoek Valley at times, leaving the Cape Peninsula as a group of islands and False Bay as a strait. During glacial periods the sea level dropped to expose the bottom of False Bay to weathering and erosion. The last major regression was around 20 000 years ago and left False Bay entirely exposed. Over time a grassy plain formed across which ran two major rivers, their waters draining out of the mouth of the bay. An extensive system of dunes also formed on the floor of False Bay, the evidence of which can still be seen in places like Glencairn and Fish Hoek. Megafauna such as the gigantic Long-horned Buffalo and Cape Horse (amongst others) roamed across this plain.

To get a deeper understanding of how the little sliver of rock that we know as the Cape Peninsula has been shaped and moulded by the forces of nature, you need to explore its fascinating origins in Gondwana, a massive continent that once formed part of the supercontinent of Pangaea, before it broke away hundreds of millions of years ago. 

The 3 main rock formations of the Cape Peninsula are:

·            Late-Precambrian Malmesbury group (sedimentary and metamorphic rock 560 million years old)

·            Peninsula granite (a huge batholith that was forced into the Malmesbury Group 540 million years ago)

·            Table Mountain Group sandstones deposited on the eroded surface of granite and Malmesbury series basement, about 440-500 million years ago.

These consist of three layers (listed from the oldest to the youngest):

·            The Graafwater formation, around 25m-65m thick made up of sandstone and mudstone in red and purple hues

·            The Peninsula Formation made up of light grey, pebbly sandstones and forming the bulk of Table Mountain, around 700m thick

·            The Pakhuis Formation on the top of Table Mountain, which is very thin and identified by glacially deposited pebbles of sandstone

The geological formation of the cape influenced how people made use of and interacted with the terrestrial and marine landscapes. For example, there are numerous caves that wrap around the Cape Peninsula. Archeological evidence has been found in these sites which suggest that the indigenous Khoi were making use of these caves as shelters and living quarters. Furthermore, the particular geological shape of the bay of Simon's Town, was the reason that the Dutch East India Company established its Winter Anchorage in the area. In the 1800's Simon's Town became the home for the Royal Navy until 1957, when the base was handed over to the South African government of the time. The South African Navy operates from this base currently. It could be argued that one of the main features of Simon's Town, the Navy, is based in this particular area because the bay forms a natural harbour, which is a direct result of millions of years of geological shaping.