Significance of parent rock type in the development and distribution of soils in the kruger national park, south of the olifants river

Soil mapping in the Kruger National Park has shown a strong macro-correlation between geology and broad soil units. Precambrian metamorphic rocks, granitoids and mafic intrusives, as well as Phanerozoic sedimentary and extrusive igneous rocks define physiographic systems in which the soil/ parent rock correlation is good. Regional geology, soil associations and pedogenesis are discussed in the light of parent rock mineralogy and major element mobility. Explanation of larger scale variations in soil type and distribution within geologically-defined physiographic systems is related to variations in climate (rainfall), topography, drainage and time.