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

The gneissic-granitic basement of southern Zimbabwe is characterized by a wide variety of inselbergs, preferentially developed on the granitoid rocks. However, there are significant differences in the frequency of inselbergs and most inselbergs occur in the younger granitoid rocks, particularly in rocks with microcline as the dominant K-feldspar, but their distribution is not uniform. Completely isolated inselbergs are rare and most inselbergs are arranged in clusters or are associated with plateaus or they occur as the detached ends of spurs and ridges. al and mineralogical investigations indicate significant differences in the composition of the older and younger granitoid rocks. The latter are characterized by a higher content of alkali feldspars and a lower content of plagioclase and mafic minerals. fluences of texture, fabric and fracture characteristics on the resistance of the rocks vary. In the southern part of the study area the majority of rock domes is associated with porphyritic granites and fine-grained granites, whilst inselbergs of the large batholith complexes in the northern part of the study area show virtually no relationships to the grain-size of the rocks. ections analysis indicate, that the rocks of the terrains with a higher density of inselbergs are characterized by an intense intergrowth of minerals and a higher number of contacts between quartz and alkali feldspars. Particularly in the case of the porphyritic granites the influence of texture on the frequency of rock domes is linked with two factors. These are a high content of microcline minerals that have filled the interstices of the surrounding mineral framework and enclosed the surrounding minerals. Overgrowths and replacement micro-structures indicate a long lasting crystallization, which appears to be responsible for a lower density of cooling fractures. Enclosure of the more vulnerable minerals in the more resistant microcline megacrysts retards the loosening of the rock constituents. rked differences in the lithological and structural characteristics of the various granitoid rocks influence the weathering behaviour of the rocks and illustrate that the divergent weathering characteristics of the rocks are strongly dependent on lithological and structural factors.