Periglacial Landforms of Southern Africa Compared With those of Colorado and New Mexico, USA

Abstract

Periglacial landforms in southern Africa are compared with those in the alpine zone of Colorado and New Mexico. Although the high country of southern Africa today projects into the subperiglacial zone where microscale frost forms are widespread, the existence of landforms from Quaternary true periglacial environments is not fully accepted. The southern African landforms are shown to have direct North American counterparts. In both areas the landforms occupy a similar altitudinal extent but the range is depressed by at least 800 m in southern Africa. This is attributed to marked differences in tree line elevations; the low tree line in southern Africa is believed to result from a drier and more fire prone environment.