BolEhDude from BolEhLaNd: November 2011

The Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, also known as Bukit Tabur or the 'Kelang Gates Quartz Reef' based on the Geological Map of Selangor (1976 Ed.), is a geological feature (some say monument) consist almost entirely of quartz (not limestone as thought by some ignorant engineers, no pun intended), whereby it either occurred as a large vein or dyke amongst the surrounding host rock, which essentially consist of granite (plutonic/intrusive igneous rock).

[Left photo] Picture of the ridge, sourced from Geological Society of Malaysia's website.

It was also reported that the ridge consist of a single largest pure quartz 'dyke' in the world (see WWW1). The geological features surrounding the ridge (@ reef) is presented in a cropped geological map below, whereby:
Yellow = Quartz; Pink = Granite; Brown = Schist; and Blue = KL Limestone

The length of the ridge was reportedly between 14 and 22km in length and approximately 200m in width, and orientates almost NNW-ESE, see figures below. My own measurement on the so-called ridge was around 16km, i.e. based on relief feature(s) on the satellite image, see figures below [the scale is approximately 1:125000 (top) and 1:15625 (bottom), respectively].

This quartz ridge, particularly portion on the western region north of Taman Desa Melawati, is a favourite hiking spot among the locals and only known to very few lucky foreign tourists.

The Klang Gates catchment area and the reservoir can be clearly seen from the ridge. And if you're lucky enough to get to the right viewing spot, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of the concrete arch dam.

The Kuala Lumpur skyline (towards south), UIA campus and Genting Highlands (towards north) can be seen from the ridge.

It was reported that the proposed Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (KLORR) will cut through a portion of this significant ridge.

The ridge and adjacent areas in the north was reportedly gazetted as a protected area under Selangor State Park (see WWW2, WWW3 and WWW4). But will that stop the road builder(s) from cutting or tunneling through ridge for the proposed road project? I don't think so, because economics importance is so much greater than environmental protection or conservation issues in Malaysia, IMHO.

And just for your information, the boundary line between Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state just lie about 400m south of the ridge at Bukit Tabur West.

The proposed alignment of the road project can be seen in one of the URLs provided above, and if the proposed alignment is agreed between the stakeholders and good to go, a portion of Bukit Tabur West would be disjointed, or destroyed (worst-case scenario). Meaning, it is very unlikely to stand at the same spot where I took this photo (right), overlooking the eastern halve of the quartz ridge.

Not sure how long the ridge will stay as it is, so why not hook up with a friend right now for a short day trip and see for yourself the beauty of the quartz ridge and its biodiversity while you still can?

However bear in mind that you'll need to be extra careful if you plan to hike up the ridge. There are many loose blocks of jointed (daylighting) or highly weathered quartz mass along the trail, rocky paths with sharp surfaces, and with narrow/thin ledges and steep trails, which all may pose safety issues if you aren't sure what you're doing up there.

Moreover the height of the ridge above the surrounding land is greater than 50m, I think. So you might not survive if you mistimed or misplaced your steps or body while manouvering through tricky gaps or paths along the trail. I would say the best advice I can give is to follow some known friends who had been there couple of times, just be on the safe side.

Besides geological features (boudinage, geode, deformations, small or large naturally occurring crystals, etc.), you can also see the changes of vegetations as you trail up from the starting point near the entrance to the dam area in Taman Desa Melawati, i.e. all the way to the western edge of Bukit Tabur West. The vegetation become scarce (with skinny, stunted trees) at the top of the ridge - whereby the soil cover is thin. You can also find plants growing/rooting from the cracks, crevices and/or opened joints in the quartz mass along the ridge. Nice looking shrubs and colourful moss(es) can mostly be observed towards the western edge of Bukit Tabur West.

Apart from the photos in this blog, other photos of mine, especially at Panoramio are geo-tagged, so check them out in Google Earth (yeah, the photos are somewhat linked) or by visiting my Panoramio site. Below are some of the photos that I've taken during my hiking trips back in 2007 and 2009.

[Left photo] Very thin soil cover, and the ground surface consist mostly rock fragments. I think this is the spot where you can have a good view of KL skyline.

[Left photo] Genting Highlands Resort in Pahang state.

[Left photo] Weathered quartz crystals formed within a vein in the quartz mass.

[Left photo] Deformities in quartz mass.

[Left photo] Small quartz crystals on a jointed surface on the quartz mass.

[Left photo] Some of medium-sized quartz crystals found at the ridge.

[Left photo] Lichen growing on a milky-coloured quartz mass.

[Left photo] Boudinage, or probably a geode with in-grown quartz crystals in it.

[Left photo] Some of the larger quartz crystals, observed to be slightly weathered..... and it appeared to me that the top portion of the 'mass' had been removed (see the part with discolouration). This 'mass' might just disappear over time - hacked and kidnapped by amateur rock collectors hiking up this ridge. Perhaps we should prohibit hikers from bringing tools like chisels or hammer (with the exception of geological hammer ;p).

[Left photo] A close-up view of the quartz crystals. Note: slow crystallization gives larger crystals, just like these.

[Left photo] Healthy looking 'colony' of green moss.

[Left photo] A close-up view on the green moss.

[Left photo] There are at least 3 species of moss at this locality.

[Left photo] A quite big crevice in the quartz mass, which I believe to be part of a geode, with in-grown quartz crystals. No 'recent' sign of hacking at the walls, presumably not many people have seen this.

[Left photo] One of the more challenging points along the ridge, whereby you'll need to hang on the rope provided there to get down.

[Left photo] Friendly note by some thoughtful people. No play play oh, this place is risky and can be dangerous if you aren't sure what you're doing.

[Left photo] Limestone hill.... hahahaa.... no lar... it's the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, also known as Bukit Tabur.

[Left photo] I believe this is one of the localities along the ridge where we are supposed to hop like stuntmen... hahahaa...

[Left] Some of my photos at Panoramio.

[Left photo] Bukit Tabur West, i.e. as part of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, seen from Taman Sri Gombak.

I hope the ridge will still be around in many, many years to come for my children's children to see. Hopefully the Bukit Tabur West would not be destroyed by human activities, e.g. tunnelling, rock blasting (controlled or out-of-control) or even the possibility of being quarried for another road project in and around Kuala Lumpur. Below is the collage made up of my photos of the ridge taken at different times of the year.