The Development of the Mid-Zambezi Valley in Northern Rhodesia since Early Karroo Times

Abstract

AbstractKarroo sedimentation in the mid-Zambezi area presents an instance of deposition in an intra-cratonic basin during a complete climatic semi-cycle. Mention is made of the tectonic factors which controlled the course of Karroo sedimentation in the area, and the nature of the pre-Karroo surface is commented upon. An account is given of the depositional history of the mid-Zambezi basin during the Karroo period. The structural development of the region since Karroo times is outlined, and it is suggested that the present valley is essentially a downwarped and eroded part of the peneplain which still forms the adjacent plateau to the north-west.