Some 2 mil years ago the Tsauchab river washed the narrow and about 1km long and up to 30m deep gorge into sedimentary rocks. Sesriem is Afrikaans and means Six Belts, since the first settlers tied six leather thongs cut from skins of oryx antilope together to draw water from the canyon. Below the canyon, the Tsauchab river forms a wide riverbed, which, with sufficient rain, brings the water all the way to Sossusvlei.