User:Smokingloud/sandbox/Immelman's Knob

Immelman's Knob is a small rocky protuberance, approximately cylindrical in shape, in the Etosha basin of northern Namibia. Discovered in 1905 by German geologist Herzog Immelman, the knob is remarkable due to the extreme flatness of the surrounding region—despite measuring only 5 inches high and 1.5 inches in diameter, the top of the knob is believed to be the most elevated point in a fifty-mile radius.

History
In 1884 Namibia was colonized by the German Empire, leading to an influx of both business interests and scientists. Immelman was one of the first Europeans to explore the Etosha basin and with the aid of indigenous porters made five separate expeditions there.

In journals from his third expedition, Immelman recounts that his party originally passed within twenty feet of the knob without seeing it due to the orientation of the sun. Only when a porter doubled back to retrieve a dropped object did he catch sight of the object's shadow and alert the rest of the party.

The knob was of immediate interest to Immelmann due to the Etosha basin's overwhelming lack of other geographical features. No other such protuberances have been found in the basin since. Immelmann originally speculated that it had been formed "by an accretive mechanism of ants", but most scientists now believe hydrologic processes were involved. There is still no consensus on the knob's exact origin.

Controversy
In recent years debate around the knob has focused on the exploitation, up to and including genocide, perpetrated on indigenous Namibian peoples by German colonists. In a 2017 op-ed, Professor Jennifer Makosa of the University of Namibia argued that the knob had almost surely been discovered by San hunters centuries before Immelman. She cites references to a "desert tower" and "petrified male organ" in San mythology as evidence.

Though the knob's exact location is protected due to the potential of vandalism, it is wisely agreed to be an important part of Namibia's natural heritage.

= Immelman's Knob =