Tors in Swaziland

Quantification of rock control in geomorphology

“…Robb (1979), working in the eastern Transvaal, was able to establish a firm positive correlation between topography and K 2 O content (which in turn reflected the ratio of Kfeldspar to plagioclase). In Swaziland, Gibbons (1981) found marked differences in the density of inselbergs on eight different crystalline rock types and again the data showed that there was a close correlation between degree of inselberg development and K 2 O content of the different rock types. In the Kora area of central Kenya , inselbergs are virtually restricted to outcrops of Precambrian granitoid migmatites which are enriched in potassium compared with the surrounding gneisses, probably as a result of elemental fractionation and metasomatism which accompanied partial melting during high grade regional metamorphism.…”

The distribution of inselbergs and their relationship to geomorphological, structural and lithological controls in Southern Zimbabwe

“…In most of these concepts geological controls are usually not a decisive factor for the development of inselbergs. However, in recent decades, several aspects of lithological and structural controls have been investigated that appear to assist and control the generation of inselbergs (King, 1975;Brook, 1978;Gibbons, 1981;Pye et al, 1984Pye et al, , 1986Migoń, 1997).…”

Lightning fatalities in Swaziland: 2000–2007

“…A bulk of the country's precipitation falls in summer (September-March) usually in the form of lightning-bearing thunderstorms and frontal rains. The climatic variations within the country are largely controlled by the strongly differentiated topography of the country's six physiographic or eco-climatic zones namely: the Highveld, Upper and Lower Middleveld, Western and Eastern Lowveld and the Lubombo Plateau (Doveton 1937;Gibbons 1981;Goudie and Price-Williams 1983;Remmelzvaal 1993). The Lubombo Plateau or mountain range separates the Swaziland coastal plains from the Mozambique coastal plains whilst the Highveld is an extension of the Drakensburg range but, unlike the Drakensburg, is deeply dissected by the jointing and faulting resulting in strong convective thunderstorms which are frequent in this part of the country (Goliger and Retief 2007).…”