The Central African Plateau (CAP) covers a million square kilometers of African lithosphere absent of recent volcanism and intense seismicity. Treating the CAP erosion surface as a reference frame for measuring continental deformation reveals an active landscape of normal fault systems and crustal flexures. Free‐air gravity anomalies over the CAP reveal both a short‐wavelength (100–200 km) flexural and a longer‐wavelength (>500 km) mantle convective signature. Apatite fission track thermochronometry records the onset of regional cooling of the erosion surface below 60 °C between 38 and 22 Ma. The erosion surface was formed by the Latest Miocene and elevated to its present altitude (1,200 ± 50 m) in the Latest Miocene/Pliocene. High‐resolution Shuttle Radar Topography Mission‐ and LIDAR‐based digital elevation models of the erosion surface show active fault terraces and alluvial fan deformation associated with pre‐existing rift border faults. Flexural modeling of the footwall uplift of the Luangwa Rift border fault yields an effective elastic thickness of the CAP lithosphere of ~35 km. The rifting initiated in the Pliocene with, or soon after, elevation of the CAP. Subsequent Plio‐Pleistocene deformation of the CAP surface controls the Congo and Zambezi drainage systems and wetland locations. The CAP rifts link southwestward through the Zambezi, Kafue and Muchili Rifts to the Pleistocene aged Okavango and Eiseb Rifts of Botswana and Namibia, defining a propagating Southwestern Rift cutting the Nubian Plate. This active rift system developed along relatively thin (~150 km) lithosphere between the Congo and Kalahari cratons within crust inherited from Neoproterozoic collisional tectonics.

中文翻译：

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中非高原的构造和景观及其对非洲西南裂谷的传播意义

中部非洲高原（CAP）覆盖了100万平方公里的非洲岩石圈，没有近期的火山活动和强烈的地震活动。将CAP侵蚀面作为测量大陆变形的参考系，揭示了正常断层系统和地壳弯曲的活跃景观。CAP上的自由重力异常显示出短波（100-200 km）弯曲和长波（> 500 km）地幔对流特征。磷灰石裂变径迹热年代法记录了在38 Ma至22 Ma之间60°C以下腐蚀表面的区域冷却的开始。侵蚀面是由最新中新世形成的，并在最新中新世/上新世上升到目前的高度（1200±50 m）。高分辨率的航天飞机雷达地形图和基于任务的基于激光雷达的数字高程模型显示了活跃的断层阶地和冲积扇变形，这些裂缝与先前存在的裂谷边界断层有关。Luangwa裂谷边界断层下盘抬升的挠性模型产生了约35 km的CAP岩石圈有效弹性厚度。在上新世或CAP升高后不久就开始裂谷。CAP表面随后的上新世更新世变形控制了刚果和赞比西河的排水系统和湿地的位置。CAP裂谷通过Zambezi，Kafue和Muchili裂谷向西南连接，到博茨瓦纳和纳米比亚的更新世时期的Okavango裂谷和Eiseb裂谷，定义了一个西南的裂谷，切割了努比亚板块。