Zambia - Atlas of our Changing Environment

Geology

Zambia is underlain predominantly by Archean to Neoproterozoic age rocks. The Lufilian Arc, a large dome-like geological structure, dominates the geology of North-Western Zambia and extends into the southern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Figure 1.4). The most important of these is the Katanga rock formation, which yields the copper and cobalt ores exploited in the Copperbelt and North-Western Provinces.

The differential movement of the African plate and the buttressing effect of the rocks moving towards, over and under each other, have played an important role in the geological evolution of the country and in the genesis of the country’s mineral and energy resources (Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, 1996).

Figure 1.4 Zambia’s geological terrain Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, 1996.

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ZAMBIA - ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT