ABSTRACT
The onshore part of the northermost halfgraben of the Malawi Rift (Karonga Basin) exhibits Plio/Pleistocene sediments which have been formed on the shoaling side of the rift. The deposits consist of interbedded lacustrine and fluviatile facies. Abundant fossil vertebrate faunas (Schrenk et al., in press) allow to present a rough chronostratigraphy of the basin fill. The succession consists of a large scale transgressive-regressive cycle punctuated by unconformities. Between 8.6 Ma. and 1.5 Ma. distensive movements in the rift triggered subsidence and allowed accumulation of approximately 100 m of sediments. Late Pleistocene (0.55–0.42 Ma.), transtensive movements triggered uplift of the westernmost part of the Karonga Basin. This process is reflected in a major, angular and erosional unconformity.
