Etosha Pan and the Karstveld

Abstract

Etosha Pan is one of the iconic landscape features in Namibia, which now acts as a major area of waterholes attracting wildlife. Geomorphologically, it is a large area of internal drainage, which is ephemerally flooded. It has, however, a long history, which has been influenced by both changes in the network of inflowing rivers and changes in climate. Around its shores are old shorelines, lunette dunes, stromatolite accumulations, and spring mounds. The area also has extensive spreads of calcrete. The old limestones and dolomites to the east of Etosha have given rise to a range of karst phenomena, including closed depressions and caves which are also of great scientific and scenic interest.