| Hex River Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Hexrivierberge | |
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Matroosberg |
| Listing | List of mountain ranges of South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°25′S19°30′E / 33.417°S 19.500°E /-33.417; 19.500 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 25 km (16 mi)[1] |
| Width | 4 km (2.5 mi)[1] |
| Geography | |
  Hex River Mountains Location of the Hex River Mountains in the Western Cape | |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Cape Fold Belt |
TheHex River Mountains (Afrikaans:Hexrivierberge) make up the second highestmountain range in theWestern Cape province ofSouth Africa and are located 120 kilometres (75 miles) north-east ofCape Town. They form part of a largeanticline in theCape Fold Belt mountain system and form a north-east, south-west trending mountain system forming the core of the CapeSyntaxis between the towns ofWorcester andDe Doorns. They are mostly composed ofTable Mountain sandstone with most peaks reaching 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in height or more. The highest mountain isMatroosberg at 2,249 m (7,379 ft), making it the second tallest peak in the province afterSeweweekspoort Peak in theSwartberg Mountain Range.
The vegetation is primarily montanefynbos and the mountains fall within the Cape'sMediterranean climate. The mountains provide some rudimentary snow-skiing opportunities in winter, with the Western Cape's heaviest snowfalls occurring in and around these ranges. The surrounding valleys support intensivedeciduousfruit cultivation, mostly in the form ofcherries and tablegrapes.
Block streams and terraces found in the near the summit of Matroosberg evidences pastperiglacial activity, which occurred likely during theLast Glacial Maximum.[2]
