For this portion of my blog, I will focus on the soil type
and weathering that exists and occurs on the Victoria Falls land. With the
contribution of the constant spray of water along the edges of the waterfalls,
the soil has become humid and moistened. Thus, a rainforest developed along the
shores of the Falls. In the tropical climate, a deep, red soil can be found,
called Oxisols, due to the process of laterization. Oxisol soil is hard and can
be used as bricks. Though the rainforest has many different types of trees
within its tropical landscape, such as Waterbooms and Red Milkwood, the oxisols
soil has poor nutrients. This is due to the trees occupying the majority of the
nutrients of the soil.
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/philandmaxjones/1/1315856593/red-soil.jpg/tpod.html
The soil is also interesting because of its change in
pedogenic process between the rainforest and the soils within the Zambezi
River, which is the river that creates the Victoria Falls. The Zambezi River
contains basaltic rock and therefore, “the basalt soils tend to be shallow and
stony” ("To the Victoria Falls"). Other soils within the basin are red Kalahari
sands. The sands and the basalt soil are mixed together, and make a whole other
vegetation arena along the shores of the Falls and the river. Victoria Falls is
famous for its “Big Tree” the Baobab ("To the Victoria Falls"), which is supported by
the Kalahari sands and the basalt soils, and it also supports life in the form
of reed and papyrus. “River gravel” (ScienceDirect.com) has been created by
weathering of rocks, and one side of the falls has soil developed by sediments.
(The Zambesi River)
http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect6/Sect6_13.html
(The official "Big Tree" Baobab)
http://vicfalls.zimbabwe.co.za/Climate,_Geology,_Flora-travel/explore-victoria-falls-trees-woodland-trees.html
The basaltic soil was created by sandstone filling the
joints, or fissures, in the basalt of the Zambezi River, thus physical
weathering occurred. The river continuously weathers the sandstone that lies
within the joints, and this has shifted the river and Victoria Falls. Through
weathering, the Batoka Gorge formed.
(The Batoka Gorge)
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/business-1686-Batoka+hydro-power+project+revived/business.aspx
Sources
"To The Victoria Falls." Flora of the Victoria Falls. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. <http://www.tothevictoriafalls.com/vfpages/ecology/flora.html>.
"ScienceDirect.com | Search through over 10 Million Science, Health, Medical Journal Full Text Articles and Books." ScienceDirect.com. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/>.
