Turf exfoliation in the high Drakensberg, Southern Africa

Limited research attention has focussed on turf exfoliation as a denudation process in mountain environments. This paper examines some characteristics of turf exfoliation forms identified within particular valley zones in the Drakensberg alpine belt. Morphological and sedimentological data are presented for turf exfoliated sites investigated in the Mashai Valley of eastern Lesotho. It is found that a variety of processes, including needle ice action, biological activity, fluvial processes and deflation, operating synergistically, are responsible for contemporary turf exfoliation in the high Drakensberg. It is apparent that the strong seasonality from mild, wet summers to cold, dry winters has helped induce the annual cycle of dominating processes.