The African Surface or African Erosion Surface is a land
surface formed by erosion covering large swathes of Africa.
[Burke & Gunnell 2008, pp. 6–7.] The type area of the surface lies in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
where the surface was first identified as such by
Lester Charles King in the mid-20th century.
[Burke & Gunnell 2008, pp. 13–14.]
The term was coined by King for certain high surfaces in
southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
. Over the years he redefined it various times leaving some confusion not on its reality but on the matter of its precise meaning and extent.
[Burke & Gunnell 2008, pp. 15-16.] In 2008 the term was redefined as a composite surface.[ According to the 2008 study the African Surface is made up by ]etchplain
An etchplain is a plain where the bedrock has been subject to considerable "etching" or subsurface weathering. Etchplanation is the process forming etchplains. Contrary to what the name might suggest, etchplains are seldom completely flat and us ...
s formed between 70 and 40 million years ago. In this sense the existence of parts of the African Surface at different elevations is the result of continental-scale warping due to endogenic forces.Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
, Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, the Central African Atlantic Swell and the Central African Rise. Subdued regions include the Congo Basin where the African Surface lies about above sea level and the Turkana Gap.[ In the interior of Western Africa the so-called Bauxitic Surface has been identified as equivalent to the African Surface.]
See also
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References
;Bibliography
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Planation surfaces
Geography of Africa
Geology of Africa
Plains of Africa
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