African superswell

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The African superswell is an extraordinary uplift of the African continent, particularly its southern half; southern Africa on average lies a full kilometer above sea level, with seemingly anomalous uplifts extending well into the south Atlantic ocean.(Nyblade and Robinson,1994),[1]

The superswell is a relatively recent phenomenon, probably beginning around no earlier than 30 million years ago, or later than 5 million years ago.[2]. The most likely cause of the superswell is a mantle plume, though this hypothesis has its detractors; the origin of the superswell remains an active area of research.(Nyblade,2003)

[edit] References

• Reader, John. Africa. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2001.