The striking cliffs along the Great Kei River tell a story more than 250 million years old.  They are formed from the ancient sedimentary layers of the Beaufort Group (part of the massive Karoo Supergroup).  These mudstones were formed (during the Permian and Triassic eras) when fine sediments settled in ancient rivers, floodplains, and wetlands that existed long before the dinosaurs appeared.  The distinct reddish-brown, maroon, and olive-green bands visible in the cliff faces are overbank mudstones.  They were formed by fine silt and clay settling quietly after massive prehistoric river floods.  Over millions of years these sediments were buried, compressed, and eventually exposed by erosion.  The different layers visible in the cliffs provide a record of changing environments, climates, and landscapes through deep time.  Today the river continues to carve into these ancient rocks, revealing another page in the geological history of the Wild Coast.