Zambezi Escarpment is a name used for the
escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations.
The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...
s forming both sides of the
rift valley
A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear dep ...
or
graben
In geology, a graben () is a depressed block of the crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults.
Etymology
''Graben'' is a loan word from German, meaning 'ditch' or 'trench'. The word was first used in the geologic contex ...
in which lie the middle
Zambezi
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
river and
Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir (water), reservoir by List of lakes by volume, volume. It lies upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and ...
. They are
fault scarps, rising 500 to 600 m higher than the lake or river, running from the
Batoka Gorge roughly 800 km to the lower Zambezi, and facing each other about 50 to 100 km apart, closer in the west and opening up in the east.
The northern Zambezi Escarpment in
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
is steeper. It is somewhat broken north of Lake Kariba, but is particularly steep and well-formed from a point north of
Siavonga Siavonga is a town in the Southern Province of Zambia, lying on the north shore of Lake Kariba. It is Zambia's principal tourism centre for the lake, with accommodation, boating and fishing tours on offer.
History
Tongas are found in this reg ...
going east through the
Lower Zambezi National Park
The Lower Zambezi National Park lies on the north bank of the Zambezi River in southeastern Zambia. Until 1983 when the area was declared a national park, the area was the private game reserve of Zambia's president. This meant that the park was pro ...
to the
Luangwa River
The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The river generally floods in the rainy season (December to March) and then falls considerably in the dry season. It is one of ...
. Along this section the bottom of the valley is relatively flat and provides a sharp contrast to the scarps.
The southern Zambezi Escarpment in
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
is quite marked in the west at the
Chizarira Hills and the
Chizarira National Park
Chizarira National Park is a national park that lies in Northern part of Zimbabwe. At , it is the third-largest national park in Zimbabwe, and also one of the least known because of its isolated situation on the Zambezi Escarpment. It has good wi ...
, but the slope becomes more broken and gentler further east around
Matusadona National Park
Matusadona National Park is a national park in northern Zimbabwe situated on the southern shore of Lake Kariba. The park takes its name from the local Matuzviadonha Hills.
History
Matusadona was proclaimed a non-hunting area on 7 November 1958 b ...
. It becomes steeper and more marked again from Kariba, east through
Mana Pools National Park
Mana Pools National Park is a 219,600 ha wildlife conservation area and national park in northern Zimbabwe.[Mvurwi Range
The Mvurwi range of mountains is located in northern Zimbabwe. It stretches about 160 km from Lake Manyame, just west of Harare, north to the Zambezi Escarpment. Its high point is at about 1728 metres. It is an important chromium
Chromium ...](_blank)
and at the
Mavuradona wilderness south of Lake
Cahora Bassa
The Cahora Bassa lake—in the Portuguese colonial era (until 1974) known as Cabora Bassa, from
Nyungwe ''Kahoura-Bassa'', meaning "finish the job"—is Africa's fourth-largest artificial lake, situated in the Tete Province in Mozambique. In Afr ...
. Again, the floor of the rift valley is quite flat here providing a marked contrast to the escarpment.
External links
Zambezi Escarpment at multimap.com
Escarpments of Africa
Landforms of Zambia
Landforms of Zimbabwe
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