Geology of the Malawi Rift
Kinematic and tectonosedimentary background to the Chiwondo Beds, northern Malawi
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5894399 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Uwe Ring (0000-0003-3347-9284, Goethe University Frankfurt), Christian Betzler (0000-0002-5757-4553, Goethe University Frankfurt) |
| Year | 1995 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 7-21 |
| Publication date | 1995-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Human Evolution (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2484 • E-ISSN: 1095-8606 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1006/jhev.1995.1003 |
| OpenAlex | W1979322531 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
Kinematic analysis of Neogene and Quaternary faults demonstrates that the direction of extension in the Malawi Rift rotated from east-northeast to southeast. Rift development commenced at about 8·6 Ma with normal faulting causing erosion and re-sedimentation of Mesozoic deposits and formation of half-grabens bounded by northwest-, north-, and northeast-striking normal faults. Continued normal faulting led to block faulting and basin subsidence which created a riverine system and eventually formed a rift lake (Palaeo-Lake Malawi). Based on the onshore sedimentary record an age of 4·5 to 4·0 Ma appears likely for initial lacustrine sedimentation. This phase of normal faulting is largely responsible for the present-day basin morphology of Lake Malawi. A major change in fault kinematics and also in the sedimentation pattern occurred due to rotation of the principal extension and shortening axes, probably between 0·2 Ma. As a result, the structural pattern inherited from the first rifting phase was no longer suitably oriented to accommodate extensional deformation and strike-slip faulting became more important. The strike-slip regime may have caused uplift and erosion of the lake sediments and of basement ridges within the rift and along the rift flanks in regions of local transpression, but also created local sedimentary basins due to transtension. Older faults that show mainly the first deformation increment are restricted to the outermost parts of the rift. Toward the center, the faults depict an increase in strike slip components of movement, suggesting deformation propagation toward the rift center, which results in a narrowing of the active rift environments with time
East African Rift · Echelon formation · Fault (geology) · Geomorphology · Graben · Half-graben · Rift · Sedimentary basin · Sedimentary rock · Seismology · Strike-slip tectonics · Structural basin · Transtension · Geological and Geophysical Studies · Geological formations and processes · Geology · Paleontology
Geological Background of Early Hominid Sites in Africa
Are virtual journeys around great lakes effective for finding megaclast deposits? Evidence from the Lake Malawi
Early Hominid diversity, age and biogeography of the Malawi-Rift
Geological Background of Early Hominid Sites in Africa
Geological Background of Early Hominid Sites in Africa
Renewed investigations into the Middle Stone Age of northern Malawi
Renewed Geoarchaeological Investigations of Mwanganda's Village (Elephant Butchery Site), Karonga, Malawi
Initial excavation and dating of Ngalue Cave
The first Paranthropus from the Malawi Rift
Persistent C3 vegetation accompanied Plio-Pleistocene hominin evolution in the Malawi Rift (Chiwondo Beds, Malawi)
New primate remains from Mwenirondo, Chiwondo Beds in northern Malawi
| Citations per year | 0.41 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1999 - 2021 (23) |
| Highly cited | No |