The geology of the area around and on Uitdrift can be divided into various principal rock types. The lower layer consists of mud sediments that were deposited under the sea. Between 610 and 500 million years ago great volcanic activity caused magma to break through to the surface. As the magma cooled and solidified the Cape Granites were formed. After 50 million years of erosion and weathering a level plain was created.
Thereafter the land mass sank and was covered by a shallow sea for some 200 million years. Marine and land-origin sediments were laid down on top of the sunken plain to ultimately form the foothills of the magnificent Swartberg (black mountain) mountains that surround Uitdrift. As these processes were taking place the earth’s crust was subjected to massive folding and tilting and the surrounding mountain ranges came into being. Most of the soils in the mountainous areas are highly leached and acidic, whereas those in the valleys and on the lowland plains tend to be more fertile.