Climatic Forcing of Plio‐Pleistocene Formation of the Modern Limpopo River, South Africa

Understanding the evolution of river systems in southern Africa is fundamental to constrain landscape and sediment dispersal patterns. It widely considered that upper Zambezi River was connected with Limpopo during Cretaceous, forming what then largest Africa. Crustal flexure Paleogene severed drainage from Limpopo, setting framework modern systems. We present first evidence—based on heavy-mineral assemblages cores drilled offshore mouth samples collected different reaches River, integrated magnetic susceptibility, detrital-zircon geochronology, geomorphological analysis—suggesting current formed recently Plio-Quaternary. Plio-Quaternary climate change envisaged have controlled recent dynamics consequent distribution loads, as observed many other transcontinental rivers worldwide.