Abstract
Lake Ngami and the Mababe Depression form elongated troughs peripheral to the Okavango Delta from which they currently receive inflow. The two basins originated as structural depressions resulting from East African Rift (EAR) propagation along the Kunyere and Thamalakane (Mababe) fault lines and are also embedded in older Okavango Delta fans. Both basins are partially ringed by palaeo-shorelines at heights that vary from 945 to 920 m with a dominant 936 m level. Dates of shoreline formation are currently under debate. (Moore et al. 2012) suggest that the Ngami and Mababe basins were mostly submerged as a result of major inflowing river captures during the Early-Mid Pleistocene. Major shorelines in the basins developed during the Palaeo-Lake Thamalakane (PLT-936 m) period of the Mid Pleistocene at 200–500 ka. This contrasts with interpretations in (Burrough and Thomas 2008), who suggest that palaeo-shorelines at ca. 936 m were formed on numerous occasions within the last 100 ka due to climatic conditions and feedback factors. Hence controversies revolve around possible dates and palaeo-climatic conditions for shoreline formation. Preliminary work on basin sediments suggests that palaeo-lakes in both basins operated as separate mostly closed system alkaline lakes for the last 65 ka, inferring an absence of numerous large high-level palaeo-lakes (at 936 m) during this interval. As further information is needed, a comparative deep drilling programme is recommended for both basins with full sedimentological analysis and sample dating to resolve issues regarding past climates and the possible extent of both early (Mid Pleistocene) and later (Late Glacial to Holocene) palaeo-lakes in the region.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the significant contributions provided by Dr Philippa Huntsman to this chapter which draws heavily on her work especially in Lake Ngami. Collaboration with Philippa throughout the formulation of the chapter and resulting conclusions has also added invaluably to this work. The author also wishes to thank Dr Andy Moore for his useful contributions. Additional thanks are extended to Dr Eliot Atekwana for facilitating the use of Mababe trench data and Wilma Matheson for photographic and editorial assistance.
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Ringrose, S. (2022). Landscape Evolution of the Lake Ngami and Mababe Depressions Within the Okavango Rift Zone, North-Central Botswana. In: Eckardt, F.D. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of Botswana. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86102-5_4
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