New geomorphological and archaeological evidence for drainage evolution in the Luangwa Valley (Zambia) during the Late Pleistocene
Section snippets
Research questions and research contexts
The Luangwa Valley of eastern Zambia is an extension of the East African Rift System (EARS) (Delvaux et al., 2012), but unlike the better-known rift valleys to the north and east it does not preserve detailed records of Quaternary climate change in datable contexts. As a result, comparatively little research effort has been invested in studying the valley's geomorphology or its archaeological record (Barham et al., 2011). A systematic programme of survey and excavation was undertaken between
Research methods
Outlined briefly are the methods used to map and source the gravels within the study area. A single hilltop site was selected for excavation and the methods are described. The artefact analyses are designed to assess the relative age of the deposits and provide evidence of depositional processes. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) protocols are presented for sand samples collected from the hilltop excavation.
Results and interpretation
The results of the mapping and clast analyses are discussed including the lithology of the SL8 sediments. The archaeological succession is outlined in terms of a relative chronology and the emplacement of deposits is interpreted based on artefact content and abrasion data. The dating results are summarised and interpreted using a maximum age model (Duller et al., 2015). The clast data are used to assess potential sources for the hilltop gravels and depositional processes able to generate a long
Fan deposits in the Luangwa Valley
Our hypothesis that climate change and possibly neotectonic activity altered drainage patterns in the central Luangwa Valley derives primarily from the research of Thomas (1999) near Chipata 80 km to the southeast of the Luangwa Valley (Fig. 1). He identified alluvial fan deposits (sands and gravel) overlain by landslide and debris flows comprising local weathered basement rocks (granulites, schist, quartzite). This evidence of high energy events occurs on all hills of similar geology in a
Conclusion
The mapping of landforms in the central Luangwa Valley identified widespread deposits of gravels on both sides of the Luangwa River. The gravels occur as low-lying spreads bordering the floodplain, as reported by earlier researchers. New in this study is the discovery of poorly sorted gravels perched on hill tops 20 m above the current floodplain with Stone Age artefacts stratified in discontinuous but coherent archaeological succession. The excavation of hill-top site SL8 revealed a 1 m-deep
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the Past Peoples and Environments in the Luangwa Valley programme (2002-2008) (Grant number: AN865/APN16171, PI Barham). Several colleagues contributed ideas in the field about the possible origin of the cobble deposits discussed here, and we are grateful for their input: Pete Ditchfield, Simon Turner, Stephen Tooth, and Sumiko Tsukamoto. Damien Delvaux and Karen Fontijn provided information on tectonics in the
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