Tsauchab

The Tsauchab is a rivier (dry riverbed that fills in times of heavy rain) in Namibia, in the southern Naukluft Mountains. It is approximately 100 km (60 miles) long, and known especially for the portion in which it flows through Sesriem Canyon.

Since it is in the Namib desert, the Tsauchab carries water only during the rare times when rain falls in the Naukluft Mountains and runs off, since it cannot seep into the soil fast enough (see "flash flood"). During these rains, the Tsauchab becomes a rapid-running, strong river within a matter of hours. As a result of the occasional rains, it has over the past two million years carved Sesriem Canyon, a kilometer (0.6 mile) long and up to 30-meter (100-foot) deep canyon in sedimentary rock. The name "Sesriem" is Afrikaans and means "six belts", since the early settlers had to attach together six belts (made of oryx hides), in order to reach buckets down into the canyon to scoop up water. The Sesriem Canyon is only two meters (6.5 ft) wide in some places, and has a portion that permanently contains water, which many animals use. Past the canyon, the Tsauchab flattens and grows broader, and is surrounded by a riparian forest as it slopes towards the Sossusvlei salt pan.

Note