ABSTRACT
Except for the coastal plain of Mocambique, the greater part of the area is underlain by various rock groups of Pre-Cambrian age. Of these, the Archaean granites and gneisses are the most extensive. Of later Pre-Cambrian age are certain sedimentary formations; the Katanga System of Zambia contains valuable mineral deposits, particularly of copper ore. Rhodesia is crossed by a major Pre-Cambrian intrusion known as the Great Dyke which, appearing as a range of hills running north-north-east for 330 miles, also contains many important minerals. Rhodesia and Zambia are characterised by some of the most perfect planation surfaces in the world. Vast expanses of apparently level land at heights of 4,000-5,000 feet dominate much of the territories. The Zambian Uplands are also cut by extensive planation surfaces varying in height from 3,500 feet near Livingstone to over 5,000 feet in parts near the Congo border and in the Muchinga Mountains.
